iOS 15 is the latest version of Apple’s iOS right now. Apple will soon announce iOS 16 at WWDC 2022 alongside new versions of iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS. Apple will bring wallpapers with widget-like capabilities and an Always-on Display feature. They will also reveal the supported devices to receive the latest software updates. Let’s see if the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus will get iOS 16.
iPhone 8 & iPhone 8 Plus iOS 16 Update Status
- The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus were launched in 2017 with iOS 11 powered by the A11 Bionic chipset. They are both running the latest iOS 15, but will these iPhones get the iOS 16 update? The answer is yes; iPhone 8 and 8 Plus will get the iOS 16 update.
The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus were launched in 2017 alongside the iPhone X. They featured the latest A11 Bionic chipset based on a 10nm fabrication process. The iPhone 8 featured a 4.7-inch HD Retina display, an A11 Bionic chipset, a 7MP selfie camera, a single 12MP rear camera, and 2 GB of RAM. The iPhone 8 Plus featured a larger 5.5-inch HD Retina display, A11 Bionic chipset, a 7MP selfie camera, a dual-camera system with an additional 12MP telephoto lens, and 3GB of RAM. These iPhones were launched with iOS 11 and currently run the latest iOS 15.
Apple is well known for its great long-term software support for all of its devices. The iPhone 6 was launched in September 2014 with iOS 8 and received iOS updates up to iOS 12. Similarly, the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE (1st generation), launched in 2015 with iOS 9, are currently running the latest iOS 15, translating to 7 YEARS of software support. These are some examples of Apple’s excellent software support for its iPhones. Based on these examples, we can say that the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus will likely get the iOS 16 update released by the end of this year. This would be the sixth software update for these iPhones.
How many will iOS updates iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus get, including iOS 16?
The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus should receive updates from Apple for two more years. This is based on the software support given to the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE (1st generation). The amount of software support given to these iPhones was huge.
The A11 Bionic chipset on the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus is capable of handling the new software updates. The 2GB or 3GB RAM (based on your model) will not cause any problems, as some of the newer iPhones also come with 3GB of RAM. This means that these iPhones will get iOS updates up to iOS 17. This could be the last software update to be received by these iPhones unless Apple decides to provide updates beyond iOS 17. This means that Apple may end software support for these iPhones by 2023.
The last time Apple dropped software support was with the iPhone 6, which did not receive iOS 13. Ever since, Apple has not dropped software support for any iPhones but is expected to drop software support for iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone SE (1st generation). However, Apple is expected to continue to provide software support for iPhone 7 and later, including the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
Conclusion
Suppose you considered upgrading your iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus because of the software support. In that case, you might consider holding back as Apple will continue providing software support to these iPhones for at least two more years.