iOS 18 compatibility: The iPhones that really support iOS 18

Apple will release iOS 18, the next iteration of its iPhone operating system, later in 2024. The new update will bring exciting features like Apple Intelligence, customization capabilities, animated text in Messages, and plenty of other improvements and tweaks. But, will your existing iPhone support iOS 18 and will it be able to utilize all the new features? Here’s a guide to what you should expect if you want to upgrade to iOS 18. 

iPhone compatible with iOS 18

Here are the iPhones that Apple has confirmed will support iOS 18: 

• iPhone 15
• iPhone 15 Plus
• iPhone 15 Pro
• iPhone 15 Pro Max
• iPhone 14
• iPhone 14 Plus
• iPhone 14 Pro
• iPhone 14 Pro Max
• iPhone 13
• iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone XS
• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone XR
• iPhone SE (2nd generation or later)

The features that require newer iPhones

Dominik Tomaszewski

Dominik Tomaszewski

Dominik Tomaszewski

While most of the new features Apple brings to iOS 18 will work on all iPhones, there are particular ones that have hardware requirements that mean they will only be available on certain models. Here are the features that will only be supported on newer devices. 

Apple Intelligence

Apple’s new AI capabilities might grab the headlines, but the hardware demands mean that it will only be available for a handful of iPhones. These are the models that will be able to support Apple Intelligence:

• iPhone 15 Pro 
• iPhone 15 Pro Max

We don’t know yet if Apple Intelligence will only be available on the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro models or whether the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will also be included. We think it’s likely they all get the feature, as Apple usually uses the processors from the previous Pro generation in the following standard iPhone models and we know these to be compatible with the AI requirements.

Live Audio Transcription

This feature allows you to record notes and have your iPhone turn the speech into text you can use afterward. The feature will only be available for iPhone 12 or later devices. This means if you have any of the iPhone 11, Xr, Xs or SE range then you won’t be able to use this capability. 

Accessibility Eye Tracking

This impressive new addition in iOS 18 allows users to control their iPhone just with eye movements. It’s available on iPhone 12 and later models including iPhone SE (3rd Gen), but won’t be supported on any of the iPhone 11, Xr or Xs range.

Accessibility Music Haptics

Another accessibility feature coming in iOS 18 is Music Haptics, which uses the iPhone’s Taptic Engine to tap along to the beat of the music that’s playing, so hearing impaired users can still enjoy the beats. It’s available on all iPhone 12 models and later, but again if you have any of the iPhone 11, Xr, Xs or SE range then you won’t be able to use this feature. 

iPhones that have iOS 17 but won’t get iOS 18

Apple does an amazing job of keeping older iPhones on the latest software and that continues with iOS 18. If your current iPhone has iOS 17 then it will also be getting iOS 18, simple as that. Obviously, as you can see from the section above, you might not get all the cool new features, but there will still be plenty to explore in the latest upgrade. 

To see what Apple has in store, take a look at our iOS 18 vs iOS 17 comparison guide.