This story is part of WWDC 2022, CNET’s complete coverage from and about Apple’s annual developers conference.
Apple’s next big iPhone update, iOS 16, will bring a collection of new features to your iPhone. Previewed at WWDC 2022 last week, its features will include the ability to edit messages you already sent in the Messages app; new tools to personalize your iPhone, like how your lock screen looks; and new automations for sharing pictures in Photo Libraries with friends.
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Watch Everything Announced at Apple’s WWDC 2022 Event
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But all these goodies will only be available to people with the iPhone 8 and later models. This means any phones introduced in 2016 or earlier, including the iPhone 6S, iPhone SE and iPhone 7, won’t be getting Apple software updates anymore. It’s not an unexpected move, given that the company regularly retires software support on older devices.
To be clear, if you have an older device, it and all your apps should continue to work for now even without the update with all the shiny new features. But since you won’t be getting new iOS updates, that could leave your device vulnerable to hacks and malware because software updates also often include patches for bugs. Apple may continue to offer some security updates to these older devices, as it’s done with iPhone 5 and iPhone 6 devices. But even if it does, it’s likely the updates will only include critical vulnerabilities, which could still leave devices open to attack. To keep up with potential vulnerabilities and to see what, if any, security updates will be available to you, be sure to keep your eye on Apple Security updates.
For more, read up on everything Apple announced at WWDC 2022. This includes WatchOS 9, MacOS Ventura and the M2 MacBook Air.
