Apple made its iOS 13 update available for download on Thursday, Sept. 19, adding an array of new features to the iPhone’s operating system. Meanwhile, iPads will get updated on on Sept. 30, the release date for its new iPadOS.
But not every Apple device can handle the iOS and iPadOS updates, which means some iPhones and iPads will become obsolete. That means—while they will continue to function—they won’t see any of the new features Apple showed off at its most recent event, or receive any future updates, beyond occasional security patches.
The iPhone 5s, 6, and 6 Plus, and the sixth generation iPod Touch will not work with iOS 13. The iPhone 5s was released 6 years ago in 2013, and the iPhone 6 models are being phased out 5 years after being released in 2014. The sixth generation iPod Touch was released in 2015.
According to Apple, iOS 13 only supports iPhones with Apple’s A9 mobile processor or a more recent chip, which makes the iPhone SE and iPhone 6s lines the oldest Apple smartphones able to handle its newest version of iOS. The iPhone 5s features Apple’s A7 mobile processor, while the the sixth generation iPod Touch and Apple’s iPhone 6 models are all run by the Apple A8 chip.
Apple’s iOS 13 will also not support Apple’s iPads. Instead, iPads will get their own operating system, iPadOS, making the devices more powerful and truer computer replacements, as Apple has been billing its tablets for years.
IPadOS offers users some heavy lifting features—like improved multi-tasking and the ability to add widgets to the home screen—but not without dropping some weight. The second and third generation iPad mini, released in 2013 and 2014, respectively, and 2013’s iPad Air will not support the new iPadOS.
Similar to the iPhone’s iOS 13, iPadOS will not support Apple’s A7 processor, which all three iPads have. However, it will support the A8X chip, an updated version that the chip driving the (now) unsupported iPhone 6. That means the iPad Air 2, released in 2014, will be able to handle iPadOS.
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