April 21, 2026, 1:08 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
When you buy an iPhone, you can usually count on excellent software support. Getting every new iOS version on day one for five, six, or even seven years is the norm. However, Apple eventually draws the line for older devices. Now, these iPhone models might be affected.
Are These iPhones Dropping from the iOS 27 List?
Internal preparations are currently underway for the unveiling of iOS 27 at the WWDC26 developer conference on June 8. During the keynote at the event’s start, Apple is expected to announce the devices compatible with the new operating system version. However, the well-known leaker “Instant Digital” has already published the list of iPhones that will support iOS 27 on the Chinese blog platform Weibo.
It is immediately noticeable that some models that received the iOS 26 update are no longer on the list. Specifically, these are:
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro/Pro Max
- iPhone SE (2nd generation)
The iPhone 11 and 11 Pro/Pro Max were released in September 2019, followed by the iPhone SE (2nd generation) in April 2020. All four models have received six new iOS versions since their introduction with iOS 13. Even if they no longer receive the iOS 27 update, Apple will continue to provide them with security patches for several more years.
List Not Final
According to the leak, iOS 27 will require at least an iPhone 12, 12 Pro/Pro Max, or iPhone SE (3rd generation). The leaker does not specify a concrete reason for the update cutoff for the iPhone 11 and iPhone SE (2nd generation). Last year, Apple ended support for the iPhone XS/XS Max and XR. The latter likely wasn’t equipped to handle the new, resource-intensive Liquid-Glass interface in iOS 26 due to a weak Neural Engine and only 3 GB of RAM.
Also interesting: The best hidden features in iOS 26
Insider information suggests that iOS 27 will focus primarily on stability and bug fixes. It is often compared to the famous Mac OS X Snow Leopard, which prioritized optimizations over extensive new features–making it one of the best OS versions in Mac history.
On Reddit and in the MacRumors forum, users are now wondering why Apple would reduce software support if iOS 27 is essentially a “leaner” update. One comment notes that “this means it should run better than iOS 26.” Whether the leaked list of iPhones compatible with iOS 27 is accurate remains uncertain. We will have to wait until June to find out which models Apple will continue to support.