Oliver Haslam on June 9, 2022, 7:42 pm

iOS 16 iPhone 7 / 7 Plus Support Dropped, Apple Faces Backlash

Apple’s iOS 16 will be made available to the world later this year and while it’s a hotly anticipated update, one group of people is being left out in the cold. With the release of iOS 16, Apple has ditched support for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus devices.

While support for devices isn’t a guarantee and Apple has supported the iPhone 7 lineup since its release in 2016, people are still upset that the first iPhone with a dual-camera array isn’t going to get an update this year.

Some point to the iPhone 8 being supported, concerned that it will be removed when iOS 17 ships — they say they don’t want a non-Home-button device, although the iPhone SE remains an option should they not want to go for a device with Face ID.

As for why Apple has decided to go this route, it isn’t clear. The iPhone 7 devices use Apple’s A10 Fusion chip which is getting on in years, but it’s also the same chip that powers the six and seventh-generation iPads — and they maintain support for iPadOS 16.

Apple will surely have its reasons for ditching the iPhone 7 from iOS 16, but they aren’t immediately clear and that alone is sure to cause concern.

Could Apple have shipped iOS 16 for iPhone 7 but with some features disabled? Maybe. But it’s still possible some would have complained. Apple isn’t normally one for explaining these kinds of decisions, but this is one instance where it would definitely benefit from doing so.