Hosted by site sponsor WebMate.
iPhone Q&A
Update Published March 23, 2022
All Apple Q&As > iPhone Q&A (Home) | iPod touch Q&A (Home) | iPad Q&A (Home)
To be notified of new Q&As, sign up for EveryMac.com's bimonthly email list.
Which iPhone and iPod touch models support iOS 15? Do some models "partially" support iOS 15? Which ones?
Please note that iOS 15 was discontinued and is not the current version of the iOS. However, the below Q&A has been updated subsequently and is quite useful for anyone who is running or who wants to run iOS 15 on a compatible iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad.
Apple first previewed iOS 15 on June 7, 2021 with immediately availability for registered Apple Developers. It was released as a public beta on July 1, 2021. The "final" consumer version launched on September 20, 2021.
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (iOS 15 on iPhone 12 Pro)
Apple provides general iOS 15 compatibility in its company press release, but specific feature support is buried in fine print elsewhere. Independent insight can be worthwhile, too.
New iOS 15 Features
In the corporate press release, Apple promises "new ways to stay connected and powerful features that help users focus, explore, and do more with on-device intelligence."
In contrast to the previous version of the iOS, iOS 14, where Apple boasted that the company had "reimagined" the iPhone experience, iOS 15 is more modest, and perhaps more honest, in its claims, as well.
New ways to stay connected and help to focus, explore, and do more, always are welcomed, after all.
Significant iOS 15 additions include:
- Spatial Audio: Audio in FaceTime calls is enhanced to better remove background noise and to sound as if it is coming from the location of each person, particularly useful for calls with multiple people in the same location.
- SharePlay: The ability to listen to music, watch video, or share screens or other content while connected on FaceTime. Promoted as a feature for friends, but definitely has plenty of business potential, also.
- Focus: Filters notifications based on user settings to stay focused on work during certain hours, wind down for sleep, or other defined tasks. Certainly worthwhile for working at home.
- On-Device Intelligence: Long available on Android, makes an effort to find text within images, make this information actionable, provide more information from the web, potentially translate it between languages, and more.
- Improved Safari: Enhanced for easier one-hand usage.
- Improved Maps: Additional details for some cities as well as improvements for driving and mass transit. Improved notification regarding when to disembark on bus routes and train lines is particularly welcomed.
- New Keys: Improvements to vehicle unlock and promised improvements to unlock home, office, and hotel doors as well as store more identification within Wallet. A big time saver, for sure.
- New Privacy Features: Local processing of Siri requests, efforts to block tracking in emails, and more.
- Redesigned Weather: Fancy animated backgrounds and dynamic layouts that can change depending on the conditions.
There are many other minor improvements and additions that you also may find useful, but these are the ones that Apple considers to be the most notable. It is important to realize that not all of these features are supported on all compatible devices, though.
iOS 15 supports the same devices as its predecessor, iOS 14. Apple's press release notes that iOS 15 supports the "iPhone 6s and later." As seems to be common practice at this point, Apple's press release ignores the iPod touch, but support for the iPod touch 7th Gen is mentioned elsewhere.
A full list of iPhone and iPod touch devices supported when iOS 15 was announced is below. However, there are some significant differences in terms of feature support documented further below.
Identification Help (Skip)
If you are not certain which iPhone or iPad touch you have, a relatively convenient way to identify your device precisely is by Model Number.
Regardless of the age of your device, you can find this Model Number in the iOS "Settings" app on your iPhone or iPod touch under General > Regulatory > or General > Legal & Regulatory, depending on the version of the iOS. You also can find a general "Model Name" under General > About that is precise enough for this purpose.
These specific iPhone and iPod touch devices support iOS 15:
iPhone/iPod touch |
Model No |
If your iPhone or iPod touch isn't listed above, and it isn't a newer model that shipped after iOS 15 was released on September 20, 2021, it isn't compatible with iOS 15.
Although it is much more complicated, you might also consider using the Order Number for identification, which is specified as "Model" within the iOS "Settings" app under General > About.
For example, in the United States, this "Model" within the iOS looks like MG6L3LL/A, which specifically refers to an iPhone 12 mini (US/A2176) in pale green with 64 GB of storage sold on Verizon.
Everyi.com's Ultimate iLookup feature can identify these devices by order numbers from around the world and by other identifiers, too.
All of the above iPhone and iPod touch models support iOS 15, but in fine print, Apple specifies that only models "with an A12 Bionic and later" processor support the following features:
- Portrait Mode
- Spatial Audio
- Voice Isolation Mode
- Wide Spectrum Mode
- Interactive Globe
- Immersive Waking Directions
- Maps - 3D Landmarks
- Live Text in Photos
- On-Device Speech Processing
- Offline Siri Support
- Zoom in QuickTake Video
- Visual Look Up
- Keys for Your Everyday
- Live Text Translation
- Keyboard Dictation
- Animated Weather Backgrounds
If you don't know what processor your iPhone or iPod touch has, you're not alone, and there is not an easy way to retrieve this information from the device itself. Everyi.com has you covered, though, because we always dutifully have documented this information on the specs pages for each iPhone and each iPod touch.
The iPhone XS and later models support these features:
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (2nd Gen)
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 13 mini
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (3rd Gen)
Earlier iPhone models and the iPod touch 7th Gen do not support these features at all.
iOS 15 Summary
Ultimately, iOS 15 provides worthwhile, albeit modest, new features. Although many of the more notable new features are limited to iPhone models released in the last three years, those with earlier models likely will find some additions to be useful, also.
As always, Everyi.com recommended that for those who use their iPhone or iPod touch for anything important, it was wise to skip the public beta completely. Now that the final version and a few bug fixes have been released, there is little reason to not upgrade a device that supports iOS 15 unless doing so would leave important apps behind.
Permalink | Report an Error/Typo | Sign Up for Site Update Notices
<< iPhone Q&A (Main) | iPod touch Q&A (Main) | iPad Q&A (Main)
Established in 1996, EveryMac.com has been created by experts with decades of experience with Apple hardware. EveryMac.com includes, and always has included, original research incorporating detailed, hands-on inspection of packaging, computers, and devices as well as extensive real-world use. All information is provided in good faith, but no website or person is perfect. Accordingly, EveryMac.com is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind whatsoever. EveryMac.com, and the authors thereof, shall not be held responsible or liable, under any circumstances, for any damages resulting from the use or inability to use the information within. For complete disclaimer and copyright information please read and understand the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy before using EveryMac.com. Copying, scraping, or use of any content without expressed permission is not allowed, although links to any page are welcomed and appreciated.