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Need to Upgrade to iOS 26? Check and See if Your iPhone Is Supported

If your iPhone is too old, you may not be able to upgrade to iOS 26.

Headshot of Nelson Aguilar
Headshot of Nelson Aguilar
Nelson Aguilar
With more than a decade of experience, Nelson covers Apple and Google and writes about iPhone and Android features, privacy and security settings, and more.
Nelson Aguilar
2 min read
Apple smartphones

Some older versions of the iPhone are occasionally left in the dust when iOS updates. 

 James Martin/CNET

Apple has officially rolled out iOS 26.2, but don't expect to see that update notification if you're holding onto hardware older than the iPhone 11. In fact, you may not have access to the iOS 26 update at all. If that's the case, it may very well be time to upgrade your phone entirely. 

Tech Tips

The new software demands the processing power of the A13 Bionic chip, meaning many older popular models have hit their ceiling. While you won't get to experience the new Liquid Glass redesign or the advanced spam call blocking without an upgrade, Apple isn't abandoning you entirely -- older devices will continue to receive critical security patches for iOS 18 and iOS 16.

But is your device compatible with these updates? We've got everything you need to know below. 

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Every iPhone that supports iOS 26

The phones left off this year's list are the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR.

iphone-17-concept

The iPhone 17 will come loaded with iOS 26.

 Apple/CNET

Heads-up: Apple Intelligence isn't on all iPhone models

While all of the models above can install iOS 26, Apple Intelligence requires beefier hardware. Features such as Genmoji, Image Playground and the new Visual Intelligence search only work on:

  • iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max
  • iPhone 16 models
  • iPhone 17 models

If you're on an older device, you'll still get all the design changes and everyday updates, but nothing involving Apple Intelligence.

Watch this: iOS 26.1 Update Fixes Alarm, Lets You Change Liquid Glass

Not sure which iPhone model you own?

On your iPhone, go to Settings > General > About and look at Model Name. If your phone isn't on the compatibility list, it will keep receiving iOS 18 security patches for a while, but you won't see any of iOS 26's new features.