If you own an iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus or original iPhone SE, it sounds like your current phone is unlikely to be able to run the next major iOS update from Apple, so 2022 looks like the year you'll best Looks like the year you'll want to upgrade to one of the iPhones.

That's the word from iPhoneSoft, anyway, with a French blog claiming to have the inside scoop on iOS 16 compatibility from an Apple in-house source. No official announcement has been made yet, as iOS 16 is not likely to see the light of day until it is previewed at the Worldwide Developer Conference next June, ahead of its fall release.

However, assuming this report is correct and that iOS support for the original iPhone SE and iPhone 6s models will be discontinued, this is hardly a shocking development. Apple released the original iPhone SE in 2016, so by the time iOS 16 is released in fall 2022, it will be more than six years old. iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will celebrate their seventh birthday next fall. That's a long time for any phone to still be receiving software updates.

Indeed, it was something of a surprise when these models were among the devices that could run this year's iOS 15 update. Still, older devices could not support all the features of iOS 15, as some required phones running on the A12 Bionic chipset. It was, in effect, the writing on the wall for these older iOS 15-enabled iPhones, whose time was running out.

Still, this represents one of the major advantages Apple continues to enjoy over Android devices. While you might still care about someone using a 2016-era Android phone, it is highly unlikely that phone will be running this year's Android 12 update. Samsung has one of the more generous upgrade policies among Android device manufacturers, and you can still count on three years of software updates (along with additional years of security updates).

If the iPhone 6s model gets on the black ship of out-of-support along with the iPhone SE, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will remain the oldest Apple phones still upgradeable. These models, released in 2016, use the A10 Fusion chip.

iPhoneSoft's report does not focus solely on the iPhone; it also includes information on the iPad, which will be supported by iPadOS 16. Tablets that will be removed from the next version include:

The 7th generation iPod touch should also retain iOS support; like the iPhone 7, this version of Apple's music player runs on A10 Fusion.

Traditionally, Apple unveils its next iOS update at its June WWDC event and releases a public beta in the summer. iOS 16's final version will likely appear in the fall, around the same time Apple releases iPhone 14. iOS 16 Concept Aside from the design, little is known about Apple's plans for its next mobile operating system.