- The same iPhones on iOS 18 may also get iOS 19
- One iPad model will be released with iPadOS 19
- Expect official news sometime in June 2025
The launch of iOS 18 this year has brought a host of new features and functions to millions of iPhones, and a new leak suggests that the same handsets that can run iOS 18 are also eligible to upgrade to iOS 19.
According to the usually reliable iPhoneSoft (via 9to5Mac), handsets as far back as the iPhone XS and iPhone XR, launched in 2018, could get next year’s software update. iOS 18, meanwhile, dropped support for the iPhone X and iPhone 8, both of which launched in 2017.
There’s a caveat, though: not all new iOS 19 features will be available on all iPhones. This is something we’re already used to, of course, as recent handsets have the necessary processing power to handle Apple Intelligence, while others don’t.
So far, we haven’t heard much about the upgrades that iOS 19 will bring, although Apple is apparently planning a ChatGPT-like update for Siri. At this point, of course, you can use ChatGPT in Siri for more advanced AI conversations.
iPads and launch schedule
However, the same report says that there will be one iPad model left behind when iPadOS 19 rolls out. Apparently the entry-level 7th generation iPad, which launched in 2019 and runs on an Apple A10 chip, won’t be compatible.
The new minimum requirement for iPadOS 19 would be an A12 chip, meaning every other iPad should get the software update. We can expect a similar set of new features to iOS 19, with a few tweaks and extras to account for the tablet form factor.
If Apple sticks to its usual schedule, we’ll first officially hear about iOS 19 and iPadOS 19 at WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) 2025, most likely sometime in June. After that, we should get a beta testing period, before a full public release in September 2025.
The new software updates will of course run on the iPhone 17 series, plus any new iPads that Apple decides to release this year. We could very well get the 11th generation iPad before 2025, as well as a new 8th generation iPad Pro.