Apple event 2025: iOS 26 release date likely to be announced today! Check now if your iPhone, iPad is compatible

Apple’s “Awe-Dropping” 2025 event is here! Expect iPhone 17 reveals, iOS 26 launch date, and a compatibility list to see if your device qualifies.

Apple’s much-awaited “Awe-Dropping” event takes place tonight, September 9 2025, where the company is expected to drop the iPhone 17 series along with the release timeline of iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. If Apple follows its usual pattern, the new operating systems should roll out next week, just ahead of the new iPhones hitting stores.

Is your iPhone and iPad compatible to iOS 26? Check now. (Apple)

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Which iPhones lose support this year?

For 2025, Apple is ending support for three models first launched in 2018. The following devices will not get iOS 26:

• iPhone XR
• iPhone XS
• iPhone XS Max

Older iPhones, including the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, were already dropped in earlier years. If you own any of these devices, you won’t receive the update or future security patches.

iphones that will support iOS 26

Good news for most iPhone users! All models introduced from 2019 onwards remain compatible. This includes the:

• iPhone SE (second generation or later),
• iPhone 11 series,
• iPhone 12 series,
• iPhone 13 series,
• iPhone 14 series,
• iPhone 15 series
• iPhone 16 range, including the 16e.

iPads getting iPadOS 26

Apple has also confirmed the list of tablets that will run iPadOS 26. These include:

• iPad Pro (M4 and later models)
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd gen and newer)
• iPad Pro 11-inch (1st gen and newer)
• iPad Air (3rd gen and later, including M2 and M3)
• iPad (8th gen and newer, including A16)
• iPad mini (5th gen and newer, including A17 Pro)

When will iOS 26 be released?

Apple traditionally rolls out its major software updates about a week after the September event. Last year’s iOS arrived on September 16, and a similar timeline is expected this year. A confirmed release date should be announced during tonight’s keynote.

Key features of iOS 26

The update brings a revamped look and smarter tools to iPhones.

• Liquid Glass design: New app icons, floating buttons, and a modern lock screen with 3D effects and more widget options.
• Phone app redesign: Combines contacts, recent calls, and voicemail into a single screen with a new Hold Assist tool.
• Live Translate: Real-time translation for calls and text messages across different languages.
• Polls in Messages: Lets group chats vote on decisions without endless back-and-forth texts.
• Smarter alarms: Change snooze duration between one and 15 minutes.
• Camera upgrade: Cleaner interface plus an alert if your lens is dirty.
• New screenshot tools: Instantly search images on Google or ask ChatGPT about what’s in the photo.