Source: 9to5Mac
It's still very early in the rumour cycle to verify any reports, but we wanted to share what you might expect from the next version of iOS. Online publication iPhoneSoft reported that Apple plans to drop a few iPhone devices from its support roster when the iOS 16 drops next year. The site got its information from someone running an internal seed, claiming the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, and original iPhone SE will no longer be supported.
On the iPad side, iPadOS 16 will reportedly be incompatible with iPad mini 4, iPad Air 2, fifth-generation iPad, and 2015 iPad Pro models. If the report is accurate, it still demonstrates how long the company supports its older hardware.
And as 9to5Mac pointed out, Apple has even laid plans to continue supporting current and previous major versions of iOS with critical security updates. This move could extend the usability of these older models further. And if that goes according to plan, it could mean these older devices (like the iPhone 6s and iPhones SE) will continue to get iOS 15 security updates for a few more years, even without iOS 16 on board.
We have to reiterate that it is a rumour for now (and a very early one), so things might be different down the line. But like with any other older products released by tech companies, you have to be prepared for these to be phased out. Apple's been pretty good at extending the usable life of its devices, though.