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Apple
Every August, without fail, the same question starts landing in my inbox: will my iPhone get the new update? It's a good question, because the answer changes every year and Apple doesn't exactly shout about it. So here's the full picture for this autumn, taken straight from Apple's own compatibility lists, along with a few things I'd do before September arrives.
iOS 27
Let's start with the good news, because there is some. No iPhone loses support this year. iOS 27 runs on exactly the same devices as iOS 26 did, which means:
iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max
iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max
iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max
iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max
iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max
iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max and 16e
iPhone 17, 17e, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air
iPhone SE (2nd generation and later)
If you're still on an iPhone XS, XR or anything older, you'll stay on the version you have. Your phone will carry on working perfectly well, but it's probably a sign that it's time to start thinking about a replacement, even if that's next year rather than now.
macOS 27 Golden Gate
This is the one I'd pay attention to, because it's a bigger change than the iPhone side. macOS 27 is Apple silicon only, which means that if your Mac has an Intel chip inside it, it won't be getting this update or any future one.
The compatible list is every Mac with an Apple chip, so the MacBook Neo, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with Apple silicon from 2020 onwards, iMac from 2021 onwards, Mac mini from 2020 onwards, Mac Studio from 2022 onwards, and the 2023 Mac Pro.
Not sure which chip you have? Click the Apple menu in the top left of your screen, choose About This Mac, and look at the line that says Chip. If it says Apple M1, M2, M3, M4 or M5, you're fine. If it says Intel, you're staying on macOS 26 Tahoe.
And that isn't a disaster, so please don't panic. Apple usually keeps providing security updates for the two previous versions of macOS, so an Intel Mac on Tahoe should keep getting security fixes for a good while yet. What it does mean is no new features from here on, and over the next couple of years you'll find more apps starting to ask for a newer system than you have.
watchOS 27
Apple Watch Series 9 and later, the Apple Watch SE 3, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 and later. You'll also need an iPhone 11 or later, or an iPhone SE 2nd generation or later, running iOS 27 to go with it.
Apple Intelligence and Siri AI need newer hardware
Here's where it gets a little more complicated, because getting the update and getting every feature in it are two different things. The AI features, including the new Siri AI that Apple showed at WWDC, need one of the following: an iPhone 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 or later; an iPad mini with the A17 Pro chip, or any iPad with an M1 chip or later; a MacBook Neo, or any Mac with an M1 chip or later; or an Apple Watch Series 9 or later, SE 3, or Ultra 2 or later, as long as it's paired with one of those iPhones.
So an iPhone 14 will run iOS 27 quite happily, but it won't get Siri AI, and that's worth knowing before you update and then wonder where the new Siri has got to.
Two more details from Apple's small print that I think are worth passing on. Siri AI launches as a beta, in English first, so expect a few rough edges early on. And some of the cloud-based features come with daily usage limits, with Apple saying that expanded access will be available for a fee in the future. I'll write more about that once it's actually live and I've seen how it behaves.
What to do before September
Back up first, every time, before any major update. That means iCloud Backup on your iPhone, and Time Machine or iCloud on your Mac. Then free up some space, because major updates need several gigabytes to install and Settings, General, iPhone Storage will show you what's taking up room. Update your apps too, since developers tend to push compatibility fixes in the weeks around a new release. And there's no need to rush. If you rely on your device for work, there's nothing wrong with waiting a week or two for the first point update to land.
If you'd rather I checked your devices, got them backed up and made sure they're ready, that's a quick remote session and one of the things I do most often at this time of year. Book one here or send me a message.
