Making sure that its latest software releases can run on as many devices as possible has always been a high priority for Apple. After all, this is a critical weapon against competitors, especially in the smartphone business. Apple often cites its iOS adoption rates, comparing them to Google’s and drawing the same conclusions: That iOS is better than Android, for both regular users and developers.
With iOS 10, Apple is pretty much sticking to the same rule. The operating system will be available on most current devices, but one big one has been finally removed from the list.
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I say “finally” because it’s probably time the iPhone 4s got left behind.
Even though Apple is looking to optimize iOS releases so they work on older hardware, devices including iPhone 4s and iPad 2 have caused the most headaches for consumers anxious to try the latest iOS release. There had been huge problems with the original iOS 8 release, and iOS 9 brought over some improvements but users on these devices still complained about performance issues. Strangely enough, the iPad 2 and the original iPad mini are both eligible for iOS 10 but the 4S is gone.
UPDATE: Apple mistakenly listed three iPad models and one iPod touch version as eligible for the iOS 10 update, before correcting its iOS 10 website.
The complete list of supported devices follows below.
iPhone
iPhone 6s
iPhone 6s Plus
iPhone 6
iPhone 6 Plus
iPhone SE
iPhone 5s
iPhone 5c
iPhone 5
iPad
iPad Pro 12.9-inch
iPad Pro 9.7-inch
iPad Air 2
iPad Air
iPad 4th generation
iPad 3rd generation
iPad 2
iPad mini 4
iPad mini 3
iPad mini 2
iPad mini
iPod touch
iPod touch 6th generation
iPod touch 5th generation