iOS 19 Will Reportedly Not Support iPhone XR and Other Models Running A12 Bionic SoC

Apple is gearing up to preview iOS 19 — its next iteration of the iPhone operating system (iOS) — at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025 in June. Ahead of its anticipated unveiling, a new report has surfaced which reveals the compatibility list of the update and Cupertino-based tech giant could drop support for iPhone XR and select other models. This potentially means these phones will not receive Apple's newest OS update.

iOS 19 Supported Models (Expected)

Citing a private account on X (formerly Twitter) with a track record of accurately reporting about iOS compatibility in the past, 9to5Mac reports that the update will drop support for iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and the iPhone XS Max. These models were launched at Apple's September event in 2018 and all of them are powered by the A12 Bionic chipset. Thus, it looks likely that the company will drop support for this chipset.

If this rumour turns out to be accurate, it would mean that iPhone 11 and later, and iPhone‌ SE (2020) and later models will be eligible to receive the iOS 19 update. However, this does not mean that all of the handsets will enjoy the same features. For instance, Apple introduced its AI suite dubbed Apple Intelligence last year and it remains exclusive to the iPhone 16 lineup and the iPhone 15 Pro models; devices running on A17 Pro SoC and above.

Meanwhile, the report also hints towards Apple dropping support for one of its iPad models too. The seventh generation iPad (2019), powered by the A10 Fusion SoC, is said to miss out on the purported iPadOS 19 update.

This contradicts a previous report which suggested that all iPhone models running iOS 18 would be compatible with iOS 19. It's worth noting that there is a considerable amount of time before the update is publicly pushed out and thus, the company may still yet change its plans. Thus, taking this development with a pinch of salt is advised.