iOS 15 Rumored to Drop Support for iPhone 6s and 2016 iPhone SE - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iOS 15 Rumored to Drop Support for iPhone 6s and 2016 iPhone SE

Apple's upcoming iOS 15 operating system, which we expect to see unveiled in June, is rumored to be dropping support for a few of Apple's older iPhones.

iOS 15 icon mock banner
According to French site iPhoneSoft, iOS 15 will not be able to be installed on the iPhone 6s, the iPhone 6s Plus, or the 2016 iPhone SE, all of which have an A9 chip.

The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus were introduced in 2015 and are now more than five years old, so it is not a surprise that the smartphones are not expected to be able to run iOS 15. If the rumors are true, these iPhones will not be able to be updated past iOS 14.

iOS 15 will run on the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and all newer iPhones that have been released, making it compatible with devices that have an A10 chip or newer. The seventh-generation iPod touch has an A10 chip, so it should be able to run iOS 15.

As for the iPad, iPadOS 15 could perhaps drop support for the iPad mini 4 (2015), iPad Air 2 (2014), and ‌iPad‌ 5 (2017), equipped with A8, A8X, and A9 chips, respectively. All newer iPads are expected to support the update.

This is the second time that we've heard that iOS 15 will not be available on the iPhone 6s and the iPhone SE, as Israeli site The Verifier said the same thing back in November.

Related Forum: iOS 15

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:55 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps. To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later....
Apple Business hero

Apple Unveils 'Apple Business' All-in-One Platform

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features. The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods 4. The firmware has a version number of 8B39, up from 8B34 on the AirPods Pro 3, 8B28 on the AirPods Pro 2, and 8B21 on the AirPods 4. There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance...

Top Rated Comments

Skylar. Avatar
68 months ago
And people are still going to say Apple has planned obsolescence and is forcing you to upgrade after 5 years of software updates. Just continue using your android phone that’ll get 2, maybe 3 years of updates.
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
68 months ago

And people are still going to say Apple has planned obsolescence and is forcing you to upgrade after 5 years of software updates. Just continue using your android phone that’ll get 2, maybe 3 years of updates.
Amazes me how people think Apple should provide updates for eternity. I don't know of any competitor that provides support and updates for half as long as Apple, let alone on a budget device like the SE.

Besides, the device still works perfectly fine, you just won't get new features or upgrades. This whole planned obsolescence thing is BS from people that don't understand progress and technology.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
68 months ago
Not really surprising... by the time of release, 6 years of upgrades is not bad...
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
68 months ago
I’m sure many won’t believe me, but i’m blown away by the speed and stability of my iPad 5 A9 chip on iOS 14. It feels no different to my iPhone XS, with the exception of reloading apps more with the limited ram.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
68 months ago

Ah, yes, the economics of forced obsolescence strikes again.
Um... iPhone SE and 6s aren't going to stop working the day Apple stops updating iOS for it.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Havalo Avatar
68 months ago
6S and SE is susceptible to COVID-19, better upgrade.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)