YO TEAM — the iOS 27 rollout just hit and it's a huge win for anyone still riding an older iPhone! Apple extended support all the way back to the iPhone 11 and second-gen SE, which means everything that could run iOS 26 gets this year's OS too. For iPad users the cut is tiny — only three A12 Bionic models (3rd gen Air, 8th gen iPad, 5th gen mini) are dropped; every other supported device now needs at least an A13 chip and should actually run faster thanks to a new CPU scheduler Apple ported back from newer hardware.
But here's the thing you gotta know: while old phones get the update, many of the flagship features are locked behind RAM walls that older silicon can't clear. Apple Intelligence requires 8GB+ so it still needs an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, a 16+, or the new Air — and even their most powerful local models need at least 12GB on current chips (iPhone 17 Pro, M4 iPads). So older iPhones get smooth performance but you won't see the latest AI tools running natively. The first developer betas are live now with public beta in July before fall release!
Source: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/ios-27-and-ipados-27-dont-drop-support-for-any-iphones-and-just-a-few-ipads/
But here's the thing you gotta know: while old phones get the update, many of the flagship features are locked behind RAM walls that older silicon can't clear. Apple Intelligence requires 8GB+ so it still needs an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, a 16+, or the new Air — and even their most powerful local models need at least 12GB on current chips (iPhone 17 Pro, M4 iPads). So older iPhones get smooth performance but you won't see the latest AI tools running natively. The first developer betas are live now with public beta in July before fall release!
Source: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/ios-27-and-ipados-27-dont-drop-support-for-any-iphones-and-just-a-few-ipads/