It was a big day for Apple fans as the company unveiled major overhauls to all of its operating systems, including iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, and watchOS 11. However, before you rush to check out all the new features you’re getting later this year, you might want to check to see if your device is compatible.
First the good news. Apple has kept the same compatibility for iOS 18 as iOS 17, so iPhone XR and later will get to enjoy the new features in iOS 18. However, if you want to use Apple Intelligence, you’ll need to have the most recent iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, which has an A17 Pro processor.
iPad users who own a 2nd-gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro, 10.5-inch iPad Pro, or 6th-gen iPad will need to upgrade if they want to use iPadOS 18. The devices losing support all have the A10X chip, though curiously the 7th-gen iPad with the A10 Fusion chip remains. But Apple Intelligence is limited only to iPads with M-series processors in them. That’s the 2022 iPad Air or later and the 2021 iPad Pro or later.
On the Apple Watch side, it’s much more dire. Apple is dropping support for the Apple Watch Series 4 and 5 as well as the 1st-gen Apple Watch SE. So watchOS 11 is only for the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, which could spur millions of people to upgrade.
Finally, the Mac loses just a couple of models with the macOS 15 Sequoia update: the 13-inch MacBook Air from 2018 and 2019. That means there are still several Intel models that are supported for at least another year.
However, that’s not to mention Apple Intelligence, which has very strict requirements. You’ll need an iPad or Mac with an M1 processor or later or an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max. No other devices, Apple Silicon or Intel, will work.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor, Macworld
Michael Simon has been covering Apple for more than 20 years. He started covering rumors with Spymac when the iPod was the iWalk, and has owned nearly every iPhone Apple has ever made. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, son, and far too many gadgets.