Now that Apple has also delivered iPadOS 16 for the iPads, older devices will also receive an important security update. All devices that can no longer handle iOS 16 can be updated to version 15.7.1, regardless of whether they are iPhones or iPads.
This shows that Apple is also maintaining the older devices longer, even though they no longer have the very latest software version installed, similar to the Macs. This started with the introduction of iOS 15, when iOS 12 was still being updated and provided with security updates.
The question is whether this will continue to happen, or whether Apple now considers iOS 12 devices to be too old. The last security update for iOS 12 devices came on 31 August this year. The latest iPhone with iOS 12 is the iPhone 6. iOS 15 can then be installed from the 6s onwards – and as we said, this is currently still being maintained.
