– iOS 27 is compatible with all iPhones that supported iOS 26.
– iPadOS 27 drops support for 2018 iPad Pro models and several older iPads.
– macOS 27 Golden Gate requires an Apple Silicon Mac; Intel Macs are not supported.
– watchOS 27 removes support for Apple Watch Series 6-9 and Ultra 1.
– Only iPhone users have universal compatibility; iPad, Mac, and Watch users face significant device restrictions.
Major System Updates Announced at WWDC
Apple today announced multiple major operating system updates at WWDC, which are expected to be released in the fall. However, who can install iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate and watchOS 27 as soon as the updates are available depends heavily on how old the devices used are. There is only really good news for iPhone users.
iOS 27 Compatiblity
iOS 27, the next major operating system update for the iPhone, is the only update that runs on all models on which iOS 26 could be installed last year. Specifically, this means that iOS 27 can be installed on the following iPhones:
- iPhone 15 series
- iPhone 14 series
- iPhone 13 series
- iPhone 12 series
- iPhone 11 series
- iPhone XS and XR
- iPhone SE (2nd generation and later)
iPadOS 27 Dropped Support
Software support for the iPad doesn’t look quite as rosy. The 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro from 2018 will be left behind, as will the eighth-generation iPad, the fifth-generation iPad mini and the third-generation iPad Air. This means that iPadOS 27 is compatible with the following iPad models:
- iPad Pro (2020 and later)
- iPad Air (4th generation and later)
- iPad mini (6th generation and later)
- iPad (9th generation and later)
macOS 27 Golden Gate Requirements
macOS 27 Golden Gate can be installed on all Macs with a Apple processor, but not on a single model with an Intel chip, so all devices sold before 2020 will no longer receive feature updates. The following Macs are compatible:
- MacBook Air (2020 and later)
- MacBook Pro (2020 and later)
- Mac mini (2020 and later)
- iMac (2021 and later)
- Mac Pro (2023 and later)
- Mac Studio (2022 and later)
watchOS 27 Very Limited Devices
The compatibility cuts hit the Apple Watch particularly hard. While watchOS 26 could still be installed on the Apple Watch Series 6, 7, 8 and 9 as well as on the Apple Watch Ultra 1, Apple is removing support for all four generations, meaning that watchOS 27 will only run on very few smartwatches:
- Apple Watch Series 10
- Apple Watch Ultra 2
- Apple Watch SE (3rd generation)