Apple’s iOS 26: New Features — But Millions of iPhones Left Behind

Apple has officially introduced iOS 26.

The new update brings a redesigned interface, expanded AI-powered features, and improved performance across supported devices.

However, millions of users with older iPhones are now finding themselves excluded from the latest advancements.

Older iPhones Lose Support

With iOS 26, Apple is ending support for several popular models, including the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max, Giga reports.

Owners of these devices will no longer receive major feature updates, though security patches will continue for a limited period.

Instead, iOS 26 will be available on:

• iPhone 11 series and newer
• iPhone SE (2nd generation and newer)
• iPhone 12, 13, 14, and the upcoming iPhone 16 series (set to launch this fall)

“We want to focus on the devices that can best take advantage of the new capabilities in iOS 26,” an Apple spokesperson explained.

A New AI-Powered Experience

iOS 26 introduces several advanced AI features, including:

• Smarter personal assistant functions
• Enhanced photo and text editing powered by on-device machine learning
• Improvements in battery optimization and overall device performance

However, many of these features rely on newer hardware, which is part of the reason Apple is narrowing its list of supported devices.

The first developer version of iOS 26 is already available, while the public beta is scheduled for release in July.

The full public rollout will coincide with the launch of the iPhone 17 series in September.