iOS 6 Compatibility & Supported Devices

Jun 13, 2012 - 45 Comments

iOS 6 Compatible devices

iOS 6 comes with over 200 new features that will make the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch even better, but there’s a few caveats: first, it doesn’t run on all hardware, and second, on some of the supported devices the feature set will be limited. We’ll sort all of that out.

Devices Supported by iOS 6
According to Apple, the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad 2, iPad 3, and iPod touch 4th gen will all run iOS 6.

Noticeably absent from the supported device lineup are the iPad 1 and iPod touch 3rd gen, despite those devices having similar hardware to some of the other supported hardware. If you have one of these older devices, consider an upgrade if you want the latest and greatest features.

iOS 6 Feature Compatibility
Here is where things get slightly more complicated: Even if your iPhone or iPad can run iOS 6 that doesn’t mean it will support all of the features.

Some of the more anticipated and prominent improvements in iOS 6 like FaceTime over 3G won’t be supported on the iPhone 4 or 3GS for example, and Siri will come to iPad 3 but not iPad 2. And many of the most exciting features won’t work whatsoever on the iPhone 3GS, and are barely supported by the iPhone 4. If this sounds complicated it’s really not, but to help decipher which of the bigger features will work with what, MacRumors put together a helpful chart…

iOS 6 support chart for features

You’ll notice it’s only the newest hardware that is fully compatible with most of the major features of the newest iOS, but keep in mind that all supported hardware will be benefiting from the smaller improvements, with things like the iPhones new calling features, Guided Access, Single App mode, Facebook integration, Do Not Disturb, and all of the many more subtle improvements that were demoed at WWDC.

iOS 6 was given a loose release date of “Fall” of this year.

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Posted by: Matt Chan in iPad, iPhone, News

45 Comments

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  1. denise says:

    is there a way to know what device you have i thought i had an ipad 2 but it wont load the ios 6 my ipad tells me its updated to the newest version 5.1.1 like with your serial number

  2. dhez_gothic says:

    …ahahaha… ipad mini is coming..so, what is os of that idevice?

  3. Ray says:

    I do not fault Apple for trying to make money. They are after all a business.

    However, I used to work for CompUSA and sold computers. I used to build them, until I was trained about the world of Apple. From that time on, I tried to convert all PC users to Apple since it was easier and a better value for the money. The one line that I used constantly was, “Unlike Windows, if you buy an Apple product you won’t have to worry about the company rolling out a new product every other year and no longer supporting the old products.” I said it because, at the time, it was true.

    The company used to want to make money, while maintaining a REPUTATION for being customer focused. Unfortunately, as the dollar signs have gotten bigger over the years, and Apple becomes the big dog, they have dropped the latter while fully embracing the former.

    I can’t fault them for wanting to drive their shares up higher and make more profits. That is the nature of a business. But somewhere along the way, whether it was under Jobs or post-Jobs, they have forgotten that having fanatical, loyal happy customers is what helped drive the profits up in the first place. Now they are no longer the company with the best products and the concern of the customer, they are just another competitor in the tech stream. The biggest name, but still just another one.

    After my iPad 1 is no longer supported in any way, shape, form or fashion and my macbook pro dies, I will be getting a PC and convert to the world of Linux.

    Too bad Apple. You could have been the company out there that was different and that difference would have made you great.

  4. avenger says:

    Apple sucks big time….just focused on suing everybody’s ass…shame on apple…more focused on profit and patents than on real cuatomwr needs…Android rules!!!!

  5. Vince says:

    Re Siri on iPhone 3GS, the bloody thing was MADE for the 3GS. It worked perfectly on the 3GS (and older phones) until Apple bought the company and turned off the servers. Don’t try to sell me the line of BS that the hardware can’t handle it. The hardware can handle it fine. Perhaps Apple’s accounting department – and let’s never forget that Tim Cook is, first and foremost, a bean counter – can’t handle it, but there’s no obvious technical reason why the hardware can’t handle it.

  6. MaskedEnigma says:

    b0bby, check your iOS updates on your device.

  7. b0bby says:

    i have no ios6 update on my itunes yet

  8. Andrew says:

    Isnt iPhone 3GS older than iPad 1?????? Why iOS 6 for 3GS and not for iPad 1????? Am I right to say, I need to change my tablet every year???
    Time to switch to Samsung…….

  9. iDeMi says:

    Agree with Steve K ;-)

  10. Steve K says:

    Mark is right!

  11. Mark says:

    Is there a company out there that doesn’t want to make money? If there is, they will not be around long. I bet your internet provider doesn’t just provide internet as a services. Even McDonald’s gives free wifi knowing that people will purchase something when they come in. I noticed that Androids are not given away for free to help benefit mankind. It’s Apple’s product, buy it if you want or don’t, but don’t fault them for trying to make money.

  12. Blackjack says:

    BOTTOMLINE:

    APPLE IS A PROFIT MOTIVE COMPANY. THEY WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET THE MONEY. EVEN IF IT MEANS TO CUT DEVICES OFF FROM SALES. IF YOU PEOPLE THINK THAT APPLE IS TRYING TO PLEASE YOU, THEN YOU ARE ONLY BARELY HALF WAY THERE. ITS ALL ABOUT THE THING THAT MAKES PEOPLE DIE FOR, MONEY!

  13. ibrahim says:

    why isn’t siri working on ipad 2 ?

  14. Izaak says:

    But still many application on the iphone 3gs will not be supported such as siri, vip list facetime ect ect

  15. Devasahish says:

    the siri software should be there in iphone4

  16. grace says:

    wait at the top you see ipod 4 i have but the check list doesnt have it why…am i not getting anything out of this

  17. wyatt says:

    WWTF? NO SIRI FOR IPHONE 4?

  18. Greg says:

    Bought first iPad 1 Jan 2011, Bought second iPad 1 March 2011-Best Apple had to offer. 16 Months later Obsolete?? Maybe $750 is OK for some to spend every 1.5 years on a tablet, but it doesn’t make a happy customer. btw: Just installed Win7 on a 2006 Pc – works flawlessly!!! Cheers

  19. Jasan says:

    It should hv been compatible with iphone 2g!!!!!!

  20. Why apple says:

    Ok so I don’t get this obviously FaceTime can be used
    On 3G for the iPhone 4. Jail broken devices have been able to FaceTime over 3 for about 2-3 years now. Also if us iPhone 4 users aren’t getting the new apple maps app and google maps are getting ditched will we have any native maps app?

  21. Skyjack says:

    Lest we not forget that limiting new OS features on older hardware is nothing new. I remember not getting Compas on my iPhone 3G when iOS 3 was released. Every new iOS, like every new OS has some advanced features that just won’t be available on older hardware. Why are we surprised by this each time? I’m thankful that this chart is available to help me make an informed decision about upgrading hardware. Remember that we’ve all been living quite happily for a year without any of these features.

  22. dede eyesan says:

    Even though many features won’t work on 3gs i am still grateful for allowing 3gs to work on it.

  23. Stewart says:

    Well I am glad to see the Turn by Turn on iPad 2 – but I don’t stand why it not on the iPhone 4 – also why is Siri not both iPhone 4 and iPad 2.

    I don’t have plans to upgrade my iPad 2 at all. Right now I think ARM cpus is wrong way to go on these devices. As for phone, my 2 year contract will be over this fall.

    I think if Apple was smart, they would not limited the features to latest models. This is hurting Apple in my opinion.

    • Kevin says:

      4S, iPad 2 and New iPad all use a variation of the A5 processor. 3D rendering is hardly a low computational task.

      Why do you think ARM is the wrong way to go? They are the top CPU designers for mobile devices. Intel would love to own them.

      Apple works on the principle of their software working flawlessly. I appreciate that may not always be the case, but it makes sense to not support a feature that they can’t guarantee would work. I can see people being even more upset if their phone kept crashing using a “supported” feature.

    • shashank says:

      turn by turn navigation requires heavy cpu usage (like,to move fastly from place to place in 2D and 3D view and so…).only a dual core chip can manage this very perfectly which apple thinks about……

      • Steve says:

        Hello

        I do need to say this about the turn-by-turn

        At the moment I use an iphone 4, with the TomTom Europe App.

        It has 10 times the functionality and requires a lot from the phone, but it work, extremely well.

        So this not being able, is complete BS if you ask me :)

        Apple is what Apple is: a company that thrives to go forward.

        If you can’t live without Siri on an iphone 4, and want it on your iPad 1 or 2, I recommend you to come to the dark side, where they have cookies and jailbreaks….

        But my 2 cents.

        Greetz

  24. Artyom Brazelman says:

    So, I guess support for the ‘iPad 1’ has been dropped. Fortunately, I have an iPad 3.
    It’s a shame, though. I think the iPad’s 1 & 2 should have Siri. They could benefit from it just as much as every other iDevice could.

  25. Brooklyn Bob says:

    I find it disgusting that Apple will not support the 1st generation iPad in iOS6. There’s really no reason for it other than to drive sales of new iPads. It is so typical of Apple to abandon support for legacy hardware.

    • Kr00 says:

      1st gen iPad is no longer being sold (2 & a half years old now), the others are. Simple. “Disgusting”? Really? Child slavery is disgusting. Puppy farms are disgusting. Joan Rivers is disgusting. Lack of iOS 6 support for iPad 1, is not. Find some perspective. You look like a tool.

    • Vince says:

      I agree. iPad 1 was not cheap. I, for one, am not agreeable to Apple’s attempt to force me to fork over more 100s of dollars for their overpriced toys that only work in their walled garden.

  26. Kr00 says:

    To all those uptight about lack of support for older devices. Be grateful you’re not using an Android device. You’d get nothing at all then.

  27. Stan says:

    So that’s how Apple is after Steve…

  28. Gelo says:

    Dafaq! No Siri for iPad2?

  29. Indika says:

    Bunch of nitwits running apple now they just forget loyal customers and trying to get new go to hell

  30. Sandeep says:

    iPhone 4 should support navigation and 3D flyover, and iPad 1 should not be cut out yet when it has the same processor as iPhone 4 and is more powerful than iPhone 3GS!

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