Unlike last year, several iPhone models won't be eligible to download the newest iOS when it makes its debut this fall. This trio of models first released in 2018 won't be coming to the iOS 26 party:

Certainly one of the main highlights of iOS 26, which was announced earlier this month at WWDC 2025, is the new Liquid Glass interface. But as we’ve reported here, the update also comes with a lot of other new features – such as many new APIs that open up a lot of possibilities for app developers.

Apple announced in June that the release of iOS 26 would first appear as developer betas as usual, with the first public beta set for July. When it reaches general release it will be on the 2025 releases, iPhone 17 series, as well the iPhone 16 series and plenty of much earlier models.