iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 don’t stop supporting all iPhones — and only a few iPads

If you’re using an older iPhone or iPad device and hope to continue using Apple’s latest devices, this year’s releases bring some great news. The iOS 27 update runs on all iPhones that can run iOS 26, going back to the iPhone 11 and the second-generation iPhone SE. The iPadOS 27 update is a bit smaller, dropping support for the 3rd generation iPad Air, the 8th generation iPad, and the 5th generation iPad mini (all of these devices used the older A12 Bionic chip; supported devices now use the A13 or better).

Apple says owners of older devices should see performance improvements in iOS 27, thanks in part to updated CPU software. This feature appears to have been previously included with the new iPhones but was reverted to older devices that were released.

Apple’s iOS 27 compatibility list.

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Apple’s iOS 27 compatibility list.

apple

Apple’s iPadOS 27 compatibility list.

apple

Apple’s iPadOS 27 compatibility list.

apple

Apple’s iOS 27 compatibility list.

apple

Apple’s iPadOS 27 compatibility list.

apple

But most of the new features that Apple mentioned require the support of Apple Intelligence, which is still available on new devices with 8GB of RAM. Apple Intelligence still wants iPhone 15 Pro or newer, iPhone 16 or newer, or iPhone Air. For iPad, support requires an iPad Air or iPad Pro with M1 or newer.

And the regular models announced by Apple have the most important requirements for the system. They need a new Apple Silicon chip and at least 12GB of RAM, which means they will only work on the iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone Air, the newly released M4 iPad Air, or the M4 or M5 iPad Pro.

The first betas of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 are available now, and a version aimed at beta testers will follow in July. The final release will arrive in the fall, as usual.