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iPhone Q&A
Revision Published October 15, 2013
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Which iPhone models fully support iOS 6? For models that "partially" support iOS 6, which features are and are not supported?
Please note that iOS 6 was discontinued long ago. However, the below Q&A has been updated subsequently and is quite useful for anyone who is running or who wants to run iOS 6 on a compatible iPhone or iPod touch.
The original iPhone and iPhone 3G do not support iOS 6 at all. The iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 models fully support iOS 6. Subsequent models only support iOS 7 or later.
However, the iPhone 3GS -- as well as the iPhone 4 (GSM) and iPhone 4 (CDMA) -- only support a limited number of features from iOS 6.
iOS 6 Partially Supported Features
Specifically, the "partially" supported iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 models do and do not support these features:
 iPhone 3GS |
 iPhone 4 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Flyover (Maps) | No | No |
| Turn-By-Turn (Maps) | No | No |
| Siri | No | No |
| FaceTime Over Cellular | No | No |
| Offline Reading List | No | Yes |
| Hearing Aids | No | No |
| Panorama | No | No |
| Find My iPhone | Yes | Yes |
| Find My Friends | Yes | Yes |
Whether or Not to Upgrade
Based on hands on experience and e-mail received, most users have been happy with the upgrade to iOS 6.
However, in particular if you have one of these partially supported models and you do not find the added features compelling, you also may want to consider sticking with iOS 5 if you prefer having the older version of Google Maps integrated with the operating system rather than the excellent, but less integrated, current version version of the app. Apple's Maps app for iOS 6 is particularly poor for anyone who is interested in walkability or transit.
Once an iPhone has been upgraded to a later version of the iOS, it can be challenging to "downgrade" it to an earlier version without jailbreaking or other hacks.
If you are not sure which iPhone you have, see EveryiPhone.com's iPhone Identification section.
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