How long does Apple support older iPhone models?

[June 23, 2020] During the keynote that kicked off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, Apple unveiled iOS 14, the latest edition of the mobile operating system that powers the iPhone. As opposed to last year, when users of the 2013 iPhone 5s and the 2014 iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were left behind, this year’s update will be compatible with all iPhone models that supported iOS 13.

As the following chart shows, Apple significantly extended the life cycle of iPhone models over the years. While the original iPhone and the iPhone 3G received two major iOS updates, later models have gotten software updates for five to six years. The iPhone 6s was launched with iOS 9 in 2015 and will still be compatible when iOS 14 is officially released in the fall of 2020.