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IOS version history
List of iOS operating system versions From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. and was first released in June 2007 alongside the first generation iPhone.[1] iPhone OS was renamed iOS following the release of the iPad starting with iOS 4.[2] With iOS 13, Apple began offering a separate operating system, iPadOS, for the iPad. iOS is also the foundation of watchOS and tvOS, and shares some of its code with macOS. New iOS versions are released yearly, alongside new iPhone models. From the launch of the iPhone in 2007 until the launch of iPhone 4 in 2010, this occurred in June or July; since then, new major versions are usually released in September, with the exception of iOS 5, which released in October 2011. Since the launch of the iPhone in June 2007, there have been eighteen major versions of iOS, with the current major version being iOS 18 which was released on September 16, 2024.
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iPhone OS 1
iPhone OS 1 was announced on January 9, 2007, alongside the first-generation iPhone, with both releasing on June 29.[3] The operating system lacked an official name upon release, with Steve Jobs being quoted as saying "iPhone runs OS X", however it was later referred to as iPhone Software.[4][5] During the development phase of iPhone OS 1, there were around 16 or 17 concepts that were developed. Many on the team were skeptical of the feasibility of a touchscreen keyboard, and believed that users would prefer hardware keyboards. A number of different user interfaces were prototyped, including one that involved a multi-touch click-wheel.[6]
iPhone OS 1 laid the groundwork of the iPhone's operating system, including a grid-based Home Screen called SpringBoard, and a set of 16 built-in apps, including Text, for sending Short Message Service (SMS) messages; a YouTube app for watching videos hosted on the platform; and Maps, an app built around Google Maps with support for route directions, traffic conditions in supported regions, and support for finding and contacting businesses. It also featured a version of Safari, the web browser from Mac OS X, built around the iPhone's touchscreen interface. Other apps included iPod, for playback of music synced from a Mac or PC; Mail, for composing, viewing, and receiving emails; Phone, for taking or making calls, viewing or adding contacts, and listening to voicemails; and Settings, for customizing the behavior of iPhone OS and its built-in apps, among others. Support for multi-touch gestures, such as pinch-to-zoom, double tap, and scrolling via flicking and dragging was also included.[7] However, the operating system was criticized for not supporting content made with Adobe Flash, lacking support for cut, copy and paste features, as well as its lack of support for Bluetooth stereo headphones.[8] It also lacked support for third-party native apps, having support only for web apps,[9] which was criticized by reviewers and developers,[10][11] including John Carmack.[12]
iPhone OS 1.1 was released alongside the first-generation iPod Touch on September 5 as an update exclusive to the device, and added the iTunes Music Store which allowed users to purchase and download music directly onto their iPod Touch.[13] iPhone OS 1.1.1, released on September 27,[14] brought the iTunes Music Store to the iPhone alongside other changes, including louder audio receiver and loudspeaker volume, support for viewing Mail attachments in both portrait and landscape orientations, the ability to adjust the volume of alerts, additional intervals for passcode locking, and an option in Settings that allows turning on or off double tapping the space bar on the built-in software keyboard to automatically insert a period and space. Less significant changes included support for changing the order of stocks and cities in Stocks and Weather, and the ability to disable EDGE and GPRS while roaming.[15] iPhone OS 1.1.2 was released on November 9, adding additional language support and fixing a TIFF security vulnerability.[16][17]
iPhone OS 1.1.3 was released on January 15, 2008[18] and added several new features, particularly in Maps, such as a hybrid map view combining the satellite view and street and place labels, the ability to triangulate the user's current location via the use of Wi-Fi and cellular towers as well as the ability to drop pins to specific locations.[19] The Home Screen additionally received several enhancements, including support for rearranging icons, adding shortcuts to websites from Safari, and up to eight individual Home Screen pages. Other changes include increasing the amount of SMS messages that can be stored to 75,000 messages from 1,000 messages, and adding support in Text for sending a message to multiple recipients.[20] Apps were also changed to run from the user mobile instead of the root superuser.[21] iPhone OS 1.1.4 was released on February 26 as the last iPhone OS 1 update for the original iPhone, while iPhone OS 1.1.5 was released on July 15 as the last iPhone OS 1 update for the first-generation iPod Touch.[22]
iPhone OS 2
iPhone OS 2 was announced on March 6, 2008[23][24] and was released alongside the iPhone 3G on July 11 as a paid update on iPod Touch and a free update on prior iPhone models.[25] It introduced the App Store, a digital storefront allowing users to purchase or download apps directly onto an iPhone or iPod Touch. A software development kit, the iPhone SDK, was released alongside the update and included a set of tools and application programming interfaces (APIs) allowing third-party developers to create native applications.[26][27] A number of features for enterprise environments were also introduced, including support for Microsoft Exchange through ActiveSync for push emails, contacts and calendars; support for the IPsec VPN protocol; and the ability to remotely wipe a device if marked as lost or stolen.[24] Several new features were added to Mail, including support for viewing Microsoft Office and iWork attachments; the ability to delete or move multiple emails at once; support for blind carbon copy; and the ability to select an outgoing email when composing messages. Other new features included a scientific mode in Calculator while in landscape, a search function for Contacts, and Restrictions, a parental controls system that allows users to, via a 4-digit passcode, lock down certain functionality of the operating system, i.e. disabling access to Safari or disabling playback of explicit music. Several technical and security features were also added, including Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 and IEEE 802.1X support; and the ability to re-enable Wi-Fi while in Airplane Mode.
iPhone OS 2.1 was released on September 12[28] and added the ability to create Genius playlists, the ability to turn on the forced deletion of all data stored on an iPhone or iPod Touch after ten incorrect passcode attempts, and the ability to disable access to the Camera app from within Restrictions. The update also included numerous bug fixes and technical improvements, including fixes for issues that could cause calls to drop or fail to initialize,[29] improved speed when installing third-party app from the App Store, improved battery life, reliability improvements when fetching email from IMAP or POP accounts, and hang and crash fixes for when users have a large number of installed third-party apps.[30] iPhone OS 2.1.1 was released alongside the second-generation iPod Touch as an exclusive update unavailable to other iPhone OS 2 devices.[31]
iPhone OS 2.2 was released on November 20[32] and added new features to Maps, including integration with Google Street View, support for directions when taking public transit or walking, and the ability to share a location by email. Dropped pins were also changed to display the dropped pin's address when tapped. Several changes were also made to Mail, including fixes for isolated issues with regard to scheduled fetching of emails, and improvements to wide HTML email format handling. Other changes made in the update include improved performance and stability within Safari, the ability to download podcasts from the iTunes Store over either Wi-Fi or cellular data, improved sound quality of visual voicemail messages, and the ability to go back to the first Home Screen from any other Home Screen by pressing the Home button. An option in Settings was also added that allows users to turn off the software keyboard's autocorrection feature.[33] iPhone OS 2.2.1 was released on January 27, 2009, as the final version of iPhone OS 2[34] and contained several fixes, including a fix for SMS messages failing to send.[35][36]
iPhone OS 3
iPhone OS 3 was announced on March 17, 2009[37] and was released on June 17 alongside the iPhone 3GS. Apple did not drop support for any devices with this release. iPhone OS 3 was compatible with all devices released up to that time, but not all features were available on the original iPhone.[36] The final release supported on the original iPhone and iPod Touch (1st generation) is iPhone OS 3.1.3.[38] The first iPad was introduced along with iPhone OS 3.2.[39][40]
iPhone OS 3 was the first version to support cut, copy and paste.[41] The feature had previously only been available through jailbreaking.[42]
iOS 4
iOS 4 was announced on April 9, 2010,[43] and was released on June 21 alongside the iPhone 4.[44] It was the first version to carry the iOS name after the iPad was released. iOS 4 dropped support for the original iPhone and the first generation iPod Touch, marking the first time Apple ended device support as part of a major release of the operating system.[44] The iPhone 3G and the second generation iPod Touch were capable of running iOS 4, but certain features like multitasking and the ability to set a wallpaper were disabled due to hardware limitations.[45][46]
iOS 4 was available as a free update on both iPod Touch and iPhone, marking the first time a major release of iOS was made available to iPod Touch users for free. As a result, the practice of charging users for major software upgrades was eliminated, and all future major releases of the operating system would be made available for all users across iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch at no charge.[44]
iOS 4.2.1 added support for the original iPad,[47] while iOS 4.3 added support for the iPad 2.[48]
iOS 5
iOS 5 was announced on June 6, 2011[49] and was released on October 12 alongside the iPhone 4S. With this release, Apple did not drop support for these devices,[50] though support for the iPhone 3G and the iPod Touch (2nd generation) had already been dropped with iOS 4.3 seven months earlier due to hardware limitations and performance issues.[48] The release of iOS 5.1 brought support for the iPad (3rd generation).[51] iOS 5.1.1 was the final release supported for the iPad (1st generation) and iPod Touch (3rd generation).[52][53] iOS 5 was the last major version of iOS to be announced prior to the death of Steve Jobs on October 5, 2011.[54]
iOS 6
iOS 6 was announced on June 11, 2012, and was released on September 19[55] alongside the iPhone 5, iPod Touch (5th generation), and iPad (4th generation). With this release, Apple dropped support for the iPod Touch (3rd generation) and the iPad (1st generation) due to performance issues, and offered only limited support on the iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch (4th generation).[56] The iPhone 4 onwards, the iPod Touch (5th generation), the iPad 2 onwards, and the iPad Mini (1st generation) were fully supported.[57] iOS 6.1.6 was the final release supported for the iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch (4th generation).
iOS 7
iOS 7 was announced on June 10, 2013,[58] and was released on September 18 alongside the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s.[59][60] Due to hardware and performance limitations, support was dropped for the iPhone 3GS and fourth-generation iPod Touch,[61] while the iPad 2 and iPhone 4 had limited support including not having support for Siri or various other features.[62] It was the first major release of iOS to support 64-bit processors, beginning with the Apple A7 system-on-a-chip (SoC) found in the iPhone 5s.[63] As part of the migration to 64-bit based SoCs, support for apps that target the 64-bit ARM architecture was also added, while support was retained for 32-bit apps until the release of iOS 11 in 2017, which removed the libraries necessary for supporting 32-bit apps.[64]
iOS 7 introduced a significant visual overhaul and redesign of the iOS user interface and its built-in apps, replacing the skeuomorph-inspired design used in earlier iOS versions with flatter design elements,[65] including redesigned icons, a new animation for Slide to Unlock, and a switch from the bold variant of Helvetica Neue to its normal variant.[66] It also introduced the Control Center, a flyout accessible by swiping up from the bottom of the screen that provided access to various controls such as toggling on or off Airplane Mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Do Not Disturb Mode, and Rotation Lock. It also included controls for screen brightness, volume, and media playback.[67][68] The Notification Center additionally received a redesign, categorizing it into three tabs: All, Today, and Missed.[69] Other major features included FaceTime Audio for placing audio-only calls over Wi-Fi,[70] AirDrop for wireless transfer of files and other types of content to and from nearby iOS devices,[71] iTunes Radio, an internet radio service based around automatically generated stations,[72] and enhancements to Siri which allow it to retrieve information from sources such as Wikipedia and Twitter[73] and control a number of device settings, such as Bluetooth.[74] iOS 7.0.3, released on October 22, added support for iCloud Keychain and password generation within Safari,[75] as well as added back to Spotlight the ability to search the web or Wikipedia. After reports surfaced that the animations used in iOS 7 were causing motion sickness for some users, a setting called Reduce Motion was added, which changes the animations to be more static.[76]
iOS 7.1 was released on March 10, 2014[77] and added CarPlay for integrating iOS with a vehicle’s automotive head unit, allowing users to control certain aspects of their iPhone while driving such as music playback, answering phone calls or listening to voicemails, displaying turn-by-turn directions and traffic conditions from Apple Maps, and responding to or sending messages.[78] Several features were added related to accessibility, including a button shapes option, and Reduce Motion was brought to more areas of iOS, including Weather and the app switcher.[79] Other features added include a month view in Calendar, new male and female voices for Siri in various languages as well as the ability to manually control when it starts or stops listening, and a setting on the iPhone 5s to automatically enable high dynamic range (HDR) when taking photos. The update also improves performance on the iPhone 4, improves reliability when using Touch ID, and fixes a SpringBoard crash.[80] iOS 7.1.1, released on April 22, further improved Touch ID reliability, improved keyboard responsiveness, and fixed issues surrounding the use of Bluetooth keyboards with VoiceOver active.[81] iOS 7.1.2 was released on June 30 as the final iOS 7 update and improved the stability and connectivity of iBeacons and fixed data transfer issues with certain accessories and a security issue with Mail attachments.[82]
iOS 8
iOS 8 was announced on June 2, 2014, and was released on September 17 alongside the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. With this release, Apple dropped support for the iPhone 4 due to performance issues. Apple received widespread complaints of extremely poor performance from owners of the iPad 2, iPhone 4S, iPad (3rd generation), iPad Mini (1st generation), and the iPod Touch (5th generation). All other devices from the iPhone 5 onwards, iPod Touch (6th generation) onwards, the iPad (4th generation) onwards, and the iPad Mini 2 onwards were fully supported. The release of iOS 8.1 brought support for the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3, and the release of iOS 8.4 brought support for the iPod Touch (6th generation). iOS 8.3 was the first version of iOS to have public beta testing available, where users could test the beta for upcoming releases of iOS and send feedback to Apple about bugs and issues. The final version of iOS 8 was iOS 8.4.1.
iOS 9
iOS 9 was announced on June 8, 2015, and was released on September 16 alongside the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus and iPad Mini 4. With this release, Apple did not drop support for any iOS devices, but support for Apple TV (3rd generation) has been dropped following the release due to 32-bit deprecations. Therefore, iOS 9 was supported on the iPhone 4S onwards, iPod Touch (5th generation) onwards, the iPad 2 onwards, and the iPad Mini (1st generation) onwards. This release made the iPad 2 the first device to support six major releases of iOS, supporting iOS 4 through iOS 9. Despite Apple's promise of better performance on these devices, there were still widespread complaints that the issue had not been fixed. iOS 9.3.5 is the final release on the iPod Touch (5th generation), the Wi-Fi-only iPad 2, the Wi-Fi-only iPad (3rd generation), and the Wi-Fi-only iPad Mini (1st generation). iOS 9.3.6 is the final release on the iPhone 4S, the Wi-Fi + cellular iPad 2, the Wi-Fi + cellular iPad (3rd generation), and the Wi-Fi + cellular iPad Mini (1st generation). iOS 9 is the last version to run on iPhones and iPads with 30-pin connector.
iOS 10
iOS 10 was announced on June 13, 2016, and was released on September 13 alongside the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. With this release, Apple dropped support for devices using an A5 or A5X processor: the iPhone 4S, the iPad 2, iPad (3rd generation), iPad Mini (1st generation), and iPod Touch (5th generation) due to hardware limitations and performance issues, ending software support for iPhones and iPads with 30-pin connector and 3.5-inch display. However, the iPhone 5S onwards, iPod Touch (6th generation), iPad Air onwards, and the iPad Mini 2 onwards are fully supported. The release of iOS 10.2.1 brought support for the iPad (5th generation), and iOS 10.3.2 brought support for the iPad Pro (10.5-inch) and the iPad Pro (12.9-inch, 2nd generation). iOS 10.3.3 is the final supported release for the iPhone 5C and the Wi-Fi—only iPad (4th generation), while iOS 10.3.4 is the final supported release for the iPhone 5 and the iPad (4th generation) with cellular modem. iOS 10 is the final iOS version to run on 32-bit processors, including non–Touch ID iPhones. It is also the final version of iOS to run 32-bit apps.
iOS 11
iOS 11 was announced on June 5, 2017, and was released on September 19 alongside the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. With this release, Apple dropped support for the 32-bit iPhone 5, iPhone 5C, and iPad (4th generation) and also for 32-bit apps. However, all other devices from the iPhone 5S onwards, iPhone SE (1st generation), iPad Pro, and iPad (5th generation) onwards are fully supported. iOS 11.0.1 brought support for the iPhone X and iOS 11.3 brought support for the iPad (6th generation). The final version of iOS 11 to be released was iOS 11.4.1. iOS 11 is the first version of iOS to only run on 64-bit processors. It is also the first iOS version to run only 64-bit apps; 32-bit apps are not supported on iOS 11 or later.
iOS 12
iOS 12 was announced on June 4, 2018, and was released on September 17 alongside the iPhone XS and XS Max and iPhone XR. iOS 12 retained support with all devices that ran iOS 11, however the iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, sixth-generation iPod Touch, iPad Air and iPad Mini 2 had limited support.
iOS 12 was focused on improving performance, particularly on older devices such as the iPhone 6. Several focus areas included the keyboard, re-engineered to appear up to 50% faster; app launch times, improved to be up to 40% faster; and the action to slide up to take a photo, made up to 70% faster.[83] However, several new features were also introduced, such as Memoji, a feature that allows users to create "personalized emojis",[84] a new Screen Time feature to track and limit device usage,[85] improvements to the Siri virtual assistant,[86] and iBooks received a redesign and a name change to Apple Books.[87]
iOS 12 was the last major release of iOS to support the iPad prior to the launch of iPadOS in 2019 with iPadOS 13.
iOS 13
iOS 13 was announced on June 3, 2019, and was released on September 19 alongside the IPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max. The principal features include an option for dark mode and Memoji support. The NFC framework now supports reading several types of contactless smartcards and tags.[88] With iOS 13, Apple branched off the iPad version of iOS into its own entity named iPadOS. All iPhone and iPod touch models from the iPhone 6S and later and the iPod Touch (7th generation) are fully supported (A9 and A10 Fusion devices have almost full support, while those with A11 Bionic and later chips have full support). iOS 13 brought support for the iPhone 11 series and the second-generation iPhone SE.
iOS 14
iOS 14 was announced on June 22, 2020[89] and was released on September 16. All devices that supported iOS 13 also support iOS 14. Some new features introduced in iOS 14 include redesigned widgets that can now be placed directly on the home screen; the App Library, which automatically categorizes apps into one page; Picture-in-Picture on iPhone and iPod Touch; and the CarKey technology to unlock and start a car with NFC. iOS 14 also allows users to have incoming calls shown in banners rather than taking up the whole screen (the latter view is still available as an optional function).[90]
The release of iOS 14.1 brought support for the iPhone 12 series.
iOS 15
iOS 15 was announced on June 7, 2021, and was released on September 20. All devices that ran iOS 14 are compatible with iOS 15. iOS 15 has limited support on the iPhone 6S, iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone X, iPhone SE (1st generation), and iPod Touch (7th generation).[91] iOS 15.4 added support for the iPhone SE 3rd generation. iOS 15 is the final version of iOS to work on the iPod Touch line, as the final model, the 7th generation, was discontinued without a successor.
iOS 16
iOS 16 was announced on June 6, 2022, and was released on September 12. iPhone 6S, IPhone SE (1st generation), iPhone 7 and iPod touch (7th generation) were dropped.[92] iOS 16 is the first release to not support any iPod Touch models, as the line was discontinued by Apple in May 2022,[93] leaving the iPhone as the only supported product line to run iOS. iOS 16 served as the version that shipped on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro.
iOS 16 introduced an overhaul of the lock screen which added support for widgets and additional customization options, including customizing how the date and time appears through new font and color options, additional wallpaper customization options, and support for multiple lock screens. Other features included editing and deleting messages sent via iMessage, support for Live Activities via a new API called ActivityKit (added in iOS 16.1), among other features.[94] iOS 16 also added support for Rapid Security Response updates which focus on fixes for critical security vulnerabilities; it was first used with the release of iOS 16.4.1.
iOS 17
iOS 17 was announced on June 5, 2023, and was released on September 18. With this release, Apple dropped support for the iPhone 8 and iPhone X. iOS 17 added support for iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro.
iOS 18
iOS 18 was announced on June 10, 2024[95] and released on September 16, retaining compatibility with all iPhones compatible with iOS 17 and adding support for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max.[96] It introduced a more customizable Home Screen, adding support for placing icons anywhere and support for dark mode-compatible icons, and the ability to set a custom "tinted" color for all icons. App icons can also be made larger for easier visibility, while hiding the app labels. A redesigned and more customizable Control Center was also introduced, adding support for sorting and organizing controls into Pages, the ability to resize and place controls anywhere on a Page, and support for adding third-party controls. Several enhancements to iMessage were also added, including bold, italics, underline and strikethrough text formatting options; message scheduling; Rich Communication Services (RCS) support for improved compatibility with Android devices; and additional text effects along with the ability to use any emoji or sticker as a Tapback reaction. Other features included a more customizable redesign of Photos; the ability to hide apps or lock them behind Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode; and a dedicated Passwords app that replaces the prior iCloud Keychain section in Settings.[97][98]
iOS 18.1, released on October 28, introduced the initial suite of Apple Intelligence features for supported devices. This included Writing Tools, a set of writing assistance tools; Siri enhancements including a redesign and conversational contextual understanding among other enhancements; and enhancements to Photos including more contextual search and a tool for removing objects from pictures called "Clean Up". Other Apple Intelligence features included notification summaries that generate summaries for groups of notifications, and the ability to respond to messages quickly through the use generated short responses called "Smart Reply", among others. The update also added various other features unrelated to Apple Intelligence, including call recording with live transcripts and various features for AirPods Pro, including a Hearing Test feature that tests a wearer's hearing, intended for users aged 18 or older, and the ability for the headphones to serve as a clinical-grade hearing aid.[99]
iOS 18.2, released on December 11, added more Apple Intelligence features, mainly relating to image generation: Image Playground for generating regular images; Genmoji for generating custom emoji for use in supported apps, such as Messages; and Image Wand, a feature that generates images in Notes from drawn sketches. Siri and Writing Tools received ChatGPT integration, and support was added for Visual Intelligence on supported devices. Other features included import and export tools for Safari; improvements to Mail such as optional automatic mail categorization; and enhancements to Photos including the ability to scrub videos frame-by-frame and turn on or off automatic looping of videos, and the ability to clear Recently Viewed and Recently Shared.[100][101][102] iOS 18.3, released on January 27, 2025, added the capability for Visual Intelligence to recognize dates in flyers or posters and prompt to add them to Calendar, more clearly indicated that notification summaries are generated by Apple Intelligence, and added support for the iPhone 16e.[103]
iOS 26
iOS 26 was introduced on June 9, 2025 as the first iOS version to use Apple's new year-based versioning scheme.[104] It introduces Liquid Glass, the first major redesign of the operating system since iOS 7, based around the element of glass. The design language extends to all of Apple's other platforms, including iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS and visionOS, marking the first time Apple has used a unified design language across all of their operating systems.[105] iOS 26 drops support for the iPhone XS and XS Max and iPhone XR, resulting in the end of support for A12 Bionic-based devices.[106]
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Timeline of iOS and derivative operating systems
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