Will YOUR iPhone support Apple’s upcoming iOS 17?

If your iPhone or iPad is more than five years old, you’re missing out on the wave of new features and applications coming this fall with Apple’s upgrade to iOS 17.

The iPhone X, the first with FaceID, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus do not support the new operating system.

That means the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR will be the oldest devices capable of running the new operating system when it becomes available later this year.

The end of having to say “Hey” to summon Siri, a new Journal app for tracking your life goals, autocorrect improvements, and a “Check-in” feature to let friends and loved ones know you’re safe arrived home are among iOS 17’s new features.

But only the most advanced iPhones, from 2021 iPhone 12 and later, can control their device with hand gestures during a FaceTime call, unlocking fun augmented reality (AR) reaction graphics.

Apple released the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus in September 2017, the first line with an all-new glass back.

And iPhone X was named in honor of the iPhone’s 10th anniversary when it was announced in 2018.

It was Apple’s first full-screen smartphone and device to ditch Touch ID for facial recognition.

When the iPhone X first came out, the price was $999 for 64GB and $1,149 for the 256GB model, making it the most expensive iPhone ever.

Under the hood, the difference between these pre-2018 models and the newer iPhones is the addition of Apple’s A12 Bionic chip, a 64-bit six-core CPU with a maximum CPU clock speed of 2.49 GHz, or newer hardware.

The new updates with iOS 17 promise to be expanded with a range of new security features, including improvements to Safari Private Browsing and Apple’s parental control, and more aesthetic and usability improvements.

The new operating system has new design-driven contact cards for you and the people in your address book and a ‘standby’ mode that effectively turns your iPhone into a desk or bedside clock while charging – with customizable quick information on the display.

One of iOS 17’s new features is a “standby” mode that essentially turns your iPhone into a desk or bedside clock while charging – with customizable quick information on the display (pictured)

iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR are the oldest devices that can upgrade to iOS 17 when it’s available later this year. But you need iPhone 12 or later to enjoy every new feature

iPhone isn’t the only class of Apple product affected by these specification limitations during the upgrade to iOS 17. The iPadOS 17 update also supports most iPads released before 2018, and even newer budget options, such as iPads from the 6th generation with A10 chips

Thanks to Apple’s Neural Engine, iOS17 will also be able to live transcribe incoming voicemails, a feature called Live Voicemail that allows users to judge whether to pick up or ignore the call based on the incoming message.

But gesture-based AR responses during FaceTime aren’t the only new feature exclusive to iPhone users with the latest iPhone 12 and later models.

Those users also have access to autocorrect improvements and in-line autocomplete suggestions on their keyboards.

One feature for visually impaired users is only available on the Pro versions of the iPhones 12, 13, and 14.

This new accessibility feature, called point and speak, gives users the ability to interact with text around them on a daily basis, a great addition for situations where braille text is unavailable or impractical.

Of course, the iPhone isn’t the only class of Apple product to experience these specification limitations during the upgrade to iOS 17.

The iPadOS 17 update also supports most iPads released before 2018 and even some newer budget tablets, such as 6th generation iPads with A10 chips.