iOS 13 May Bring Bad News For Some iPhone And iPad Owners

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Apple is expected to preview the iOS 13 update at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) this summer. And if the latest report is to be believed, iOS 13 could disappoint users with older iOS devices, both the iPhones and iPads, by dropping support for them.

Will iOS 13 update end support for older iOS devices?

A report from the Israeli site The Verifier notes that Apple’s iOS 13 update won’t support the iPhone 5s, iPhone SE, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 6s Plus. All these devices are compatible with the iOS 12.

Talking of the iPads, the report says the iOS 13 update would drop support for the iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, iPad Air and iPad Air 2. The Verifier report wasn’t sure of the iPad mini 4. Moreover, the report notes that the sixth-generation iPod touch would also be incompatible with the next-gen iOS.

If this report is true, it will mean that Apple would end support for three generations of the iPhones in one go. Such a move seems highly unlikely as Apple has so far supported older generations’ iPhones. Both the iOS 12 and iOS 11 came with support for the iPhone 5s and the older iPads as well.

In fact, the iOS 12 came with the technology to boost the speed of the older iPhones.  Moreover, the report from The Verifier must be taken with a pinch of salt. It doesn’t mention the source of its information. Also, even though both the iPhone 6s and the fifth-generation iPad use the A9 chip, the site lists only the iPhone 6s as unsupported. This further casts doubt on the site’s claims.

It must be noted, the site also updated its original article to say that the lack of iOS 13 support for the iPhone SE and iPhone 6s is “questionable” and not confirmed.

Some new features only for new iPhones

In addition to dropping support for several older devices, the report claims that Apple may not bring many new iOS 13 features to newer iOS devices as well. As per the report, Apple’s real intent behind the lack of new features for some devices is to push users to upgrade to the newest iPhones.

Apple, in the past, has limited certain iOS features to the latest devices only, but that is due to the hardware capabilities. So, this claim from The Verifier also appears to be untrue unless it is talking about limiting the features due to hardware limitations.

On the other hand, there is one point that somewhat supports the Israeli site’s claim of Apple forcing users to upgrade. It is no secret that Apple is witnessing slowing iPhone sales, and one big reason for this is the lengthening replacement cycle.

So, it might be that Apple may end support for some old generation iPhones to push such users to upgrade to newer iPhones. Even if such is the case, Apple wouldn’t stop supporting so many iOS devices, rather just the oldest ones.

iOS 13 – what to expect?

We have already heard plenty of rumors regarding the new features to expect with the iOS 13 update. And, some of those expected features include Dark Mode (iOS users have long been waiting for such a feature. Such a mode will assist with easier night time viewing), Live Photos Updates (Apple is expected to raise the length of the video from three seconds to six seconds, for the videos attached to a Live Photo), Revamped Home Screen (we may see a new home screen with the iOS 13. But, as of now, there is no information on what the new home screen would look like). Also, CarPlay may get a similar home screen.

Apple is also expected to revamp the files app and add new mail features as well. Apple is said to be working on many new features solely for the iPads as well. One such rumored feature would display multiple windows in a single iPad app using a tab view. Another possible feature would help display two windows of the same app side by side.

With the iOS 12, Apple ported several iOS-only apps, such as Stocks, Home and Voice Memos to the macOS. Apple is expected to continue doing this with the iOS 13, but on a bigger scale. Possibly, Apple would make some changes at the developer level to make it easier to port the apps to the Mac.

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