The iOS 10 Compatibility List

Jun 14, 2016 - 67 Comments

iOS 10 compatible device list

iOS 10 will be released in the fall as a free download for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, assuming your device is compatible with the new iOS release, anyway. If you have been wondering what devices are supported by iOS 10 and will get all the fancy new Messaging features and redesigned lock screen, wonder no more, we’ll show you exactly which device models will be able to run the newest iOS release and which didn’t make the cut.


It goes without saying that if you have a new model iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, it will support iOS 10. It’s the older models that start to have potential for compatibility loss,

iOS 10 Compatibility List

Every iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch that is compatible with iOS 10 is shown below, this list is current as provided by Apple, though it’s always possible something could change the supported device list.

iPhone compatible with iOS 10

  • iPhone 6s
  • iPhone 6s Plus
  • iPhone 6
  • iPhone 6 Plus
  • iPhone SE
  • iPhone 5s
  • iPhone 5c
  • iPhone 5

iPad compatible with iOS 10

  • iPad Pro 12.9 inch model
  • iPad Pro 9.7 inch model
  • iPad Air 2
  • iPad Air
  • iPad 4th generation
  • iPad Mini 4
  • iPad Mini 3
  • iPad Mini 2

iPod Touch compatible with iOS 10

  • iPod Touch 6th generation

iOS 10 device compatibility list

This list of iOS 10 compatible devices coincides with what Apple showed at the iOS 10 debut during WWDC 2016, which you can see below:

iOS 10 compatibility list from WWDC slide

As you can see, the list of supported devices is similar to that which support prior iOS release, except now iOS 10 does not support iPhone 4s, iPad 2, iPad 3, and iPad Mini 1.

Initially some of those unsupported devices were included in the compatibility list on the Apple website, but it has since been updated and those devices have been removed. Presumably that was an error in the first place, because again the true device compatibility list was reflected in the iOS 10 debut presentation.

Of course it’s not just iPhone and iPad that have new system software coming, Mac users will also want to check out the MacOS Sierra compatibility list to be sure their computers can run the latest and greatest system software as well.

iOS 10 supports a wide range of hardware

iOS 10 is set to debut this fall for all users in the general public release, though it is available to download now as a beta release now for developers and testers.

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Posted by: Paul Horowitz in iPad, iPhone, Tips & Tricks

67 Comments

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  1. Jeffrey says:

    A iPad 4 gen is up grade to ten but a iPad 5gen not that stupid. If four is able than five sure be too . I think sometime the software update that will not work on some devices is just so you will have to go buy a new one than they will in six month or so they upgrade the software again and than your new one need replace again

  2. Jorge says:

    Will iPhone X be supported

  3. Haley says:

    No! I got an ipod 5TH gen! How come the update is for 6th gen only?

  4. Walter says:

    I now have additional memory and wish to upgrade to a better OS. I now have Yosemite 10.10.5. When I go into the Apple store they try to give me the latest IOS which does not work. How can I upgrade to a lesser OS system?

    8 GB 1067 MHz DDR3

  5. Seevahn B says:

    This is unbelievable! My apps keep crashing on my iPod touch 5th generation because it does not include iOS 10. Please fix this!

  6. Zachary Clarke says:

    I really want iOS 10 to include iPod touch 5th generation.

  7. CRRE2003 says:

    Rest in Pepperoni iPad 3.

  8. Nathalie says:

    I have an iphone 5s but my SIM card jack doesnt work. When I updated my iphone it said that a sim card is required, what should i do ?

  9. Someone says:

    Why is it compatible with iPhone 5 but not iPod 5???!!!???

  10. Eireann (Erin) says:

    My iPhone 5s is compatible with iOS 10, but my iPod 5th generation is not. Can they still sync up after I upgrade my iPhone to iOS 10 and my MacBook Pro (early 2011) to macOS Sierra?

  11. Dhika says:

    Why i can’t download Whatsapp on my iphone running iOS 10?
    Before i upgrade the ios into ios 10, i still can using my whatsapp, after i downloaded the ios 10, whatsapp disappeared
    Anyone has the same problem?

  12. Shalom says:

    Actually the last ipod I bought was the nano in 2007. Not twelve years ago.

  13. Shalom says:

    I just bought an ipod 5th generation today. Only because I wanted the yellow one. Reading this has me freaked out. Should I return my 5th generation for 6th??? I haven’t bought an ipod in 12 years. Been listening to the same songs on my ipod and old iPhone 4s for years. I can’t update them with music off my computer or cds and finally decided to purchase a new one. Now this??? What should I do???

  14. Alice2016 says:

    I’m so disappointed that my iPod Touch 5th generation is not supported by iOS 10! I was REALLY looking forward to being able to hide at least SOME of the Apple built-in apps :(

  15. Ryan says:

    Finally my iPad Mini can rest now, my iphone is currently updating to ios 10 beta version 3 right now fingers crossed I like it

  16. Amanda says:

    This Should Support IPod 5th Gen Since The six and the 5 looks the same So I Hope It will support the iPod 5th gen

    • inter says:

      iOS 10 is not supported on iPod Touch 5G (5th generation iPod touch model), but iOS 10 does run on iPod touch 6th generation.

  17. Allen says:

    Did they really have to give the iPad Mini The Boot, guess it’s time to upgrade

  18. PhredHat says:

    Ios10 is Apples last chance to get it right. I have had enough.

    I gave up on OS-X and installed Linux so my macbook was usable.

    Some people have figured out how to get Android to work on iPads and iPhones. I might go there just to cut my losses.

    Every since ios5 I gave been waiting on a reliable copy and paste.

    Most every time I land at an international airport, I stuggle to get my iPhone to goto the login screen after connecting to the wifi. Android does not have the same problem. I see lots of others having the same issue.

  19. Rakesh says:

    Please also released in iPhone 4s
    Iphone 4s also good of from iPhone series .

  20. no way says:

    What a crock, my less than 4 year old ipad mini I paid over half a grand for is now going to become obsolete.

    You can be certain I will NOT be replacing it with another Apple product.

    • Shaugnary Aussen says:

      I wouldn’t be that upset about it, iOS 10 is basically a Messages update and there are not really any other new features, abilities, or much else to make it worthwhile.

      iOS 10 is basically aimed at 12-18 year old kids, it injects Snapchat/WhatsApp into the operating system. It will serve little use for adults, workers, business, creatives, etc.

    • Greg says:

      LOL you really should never buy tech then. It isn’t obsolete. It will still function the same tomorrow as it does today. You just won’t get the newer features that require more horsepower to run.

      • no way says:

        Clearly you have never owned an unsupported Apple device. This means that developers will no longer update for any iOS other than the current, meaning when this is released I will no longer be able to remain current, and since many of the apps I use are interactive, they will be useless in short time.

        Next time you shoot your mouth off, maybe you might consider doing some research first, that way you might have a shot at not ending up as you have here with your foot in your mouth.

        • Storm says:

          I’m curious: what ‘interactive’ apps do you currently use that you expect to no longer function on your device when iOS 10 is released?

    • Josh says:

      None of Apple’s iOS devices, minus the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, ever went beyond 4 years. (Obviously this will change, now that the iPad 4th gen and iPhone 5 will also get a 5th year)

      The first and second generation iPhones and iPod touch devices were supported for only 3 years. The iPhone 3GS was the first to buck this trend and have support for the additional year. The first iPad was dropped after only TWO years of support! The iPhone 4 was supported for 4 years like the 3GS, and both the iPad mini and iPod touch 5th gen were also given 4 years of support.

      You have to understand, the iPad mini was given a one-year-old processor, just like the 5th gen iPod touch. That was undoubtedly going to shorten its lifespan. Unlike its contemporary devices which were getting the A6 processors, the iPad mini was given an A5.

      The same will happen with the iPad mini 4. Apple released the iPhone 6S and iPad Pro with A9(X) processors, and the iPad mini 4 was given an A8.

      This will NOT happen with the iPad mini 2, because it was given the same processor as its contemporaries, the A7.

      You bought a device with an already-old processor. You should’ve known better. That’ll learn ya.

      • Fat says:

        The problem with what you describe is that Apple goes out of their way to hide specs, because supposedly “specs don’t matter”

        But as we see every time there is a new OS version, specs do matter. Either performance is terrible, or the hardware becomes unsupported.

        But, the AAPL shareholder is happy that the consumer bought a product with a whopper profit margin, and the shareholders are #1

      • The iPad 1 support lifecycle still frustrates me. Where is the iOS 6 upgrade for it? It’s no slower than the iPod Touch 4th generation and the iPhone 3G S.

  21. Carl says:

    I’ve tested iOS10 on both iPad 2 & 3 both run it fine. Its a ploy to get users to upgrade to a new Air2 or Pro. Next step will be to make the swift playgrounds only seem compatable with the newer devices Mark my words

    • Greg says:

      There is no ploy. The issue is that older hardware just can’t run the newer features on iOS10. Plain and simple. They have updated the older hardware for the last 4 years. It will sill work the same as it does today. If your ipad is working the way you want it to now then the only reason you would upgrade is because you want to.

  22. Matt says:

    Does anyone know if the iOS 10 beta is compatible with iwatch os2?

  23. Hamza Sheikh says:

    Looks like my iPad 2 and iPad 3 can rest now. No more laggy updates from Apple to slow down. Although waiting for an update to bring those devices back in life.

  24. Jahedin says:

    The iPod 5th gen has the same insides as the iphone 5s. And same size. Shouldn’t be compromising anything for that

  25. Nice Legs says:

    iOS 10 is mostly a Messages update, I don’t see the big features that would pull most users to update. I like the look of the new lock screen though, and Messages looks cool.

    I hope we get the ability to block the update nagging alerts though, that’s annoying!

    • Greg says:

      Wrong. A lot of new stuff under the hood that you just don’t see. The ability to remove icons of stock apps is a nice new feature. The ability to actually see notifications when pressing the home button before they disappear is nice. There are a ton of new things that will make people want to upgrade.

    • david says:

      You clearly haven’t used iOS 10. Because you are very wrong.

  26. Florian Schallenberg says:

    Damn, got iPod touch 5th gen in winter 14/15 and it`s already dead…… Shoot.

    • Greg says:

      Does it do what you want it to do since you bought it? It isn’t going to magically break the moment iOS10 comes out. It will still work the way it did when you bought it.

    • Alana says:

      This happens to me every time! Just as I save enough money to get the newest device, a new version is released and within a year or so my device is no longer supported on the latest software… Maybe I can save some money and get the new iPod Touch… It’s not an iPhone but at least it would run the latest software!

      • Jona says:

        I would highly recommend getting an iPhone over an iPod touch, the hardware is better, the screen sizes are larger, and they tend to be supported broader simply because there are more of the devices out there requiring repair and service. Even if you use the iPhone as an iPod touch (meaning no SIM card or cell service), it is still usually a better device to get, plus it has GPS which is nice.

        • ziptone says:

          The sixth gen touch is avaliable with 128 GB. It’s the smallest platform with the mostest memory. The only way to tell sixth generation from the fifth gen ipod touch is the lack of lanyard button on the back.

  27. The older iPads may be supported but I doubt they will get a full feature set! To be honest I’d rather they drop them from the lineup so they can full optimise the current list.

  28. Boise Ed says:

    And Apple goes on down the Windows road. There was a time when we Mac people would make fun of each new Windows release that was incompatible with PCs more than 3 1/2 minutes old (okay, I exaggerate a bit), and PC users usually had to buy new software upgrades to cope with it, too. Sound familiar nowadays in the Apple world?

    • Take a Look says:

      We run Windows 10 on 7 year old Dell desktops. Works well, maybe Apple should take a look at it. What new features are we getting in IOS 10 that takes so much hardware to drive.

    • Josh says:

      What are you talking about… they’re following their usual pattern.

      New iOS comes out, usually a few devices that are 4+ years old are in danger of getting dropped. They were rather generous with last year’s release by supporting devices from 2011. This is absolutely nothing new with iOS. If anything, Apple were far less generous in the beginning. With iOS 4, Apple dropped the very first iPhone and first iPod touch (iOS 4 came out in 2010, the iPod touch and first iPhone came out in 2007). With iOS 5, they dropped the iPhone 3G (iOS 5 came out in 2011, the 3G came out in 2008). iOS 6, released in 2012, dropped support for the 2009 iPod touch and the first iPad, which was released in 2010! Just TWO years prior!

      Now, Apple drops support devices that are 4-5 years old, and THEY’RE BECOMING LIKE WINDOWS LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

    • david says:

      Oh bs. I’m on an early 2009 iMac running El Capitan. Lets see a 2009 PC run Windows 10! lol Technically this iMac would run macOS Sierra just fine, but it’s unsupported. They had 4 different iMacs out in 2009 as they made motherboard changes.

  29. Ryan says:

    Running the iOS 10 beta on my iPhone 6 daily driver. Performance has been on par with what I had in the 9.3.3 beta before I upgraded. No major issues either, aside from some graphical glitches particularly in the Messages app.

    Overall, the first developer preview is normally a mess and for me at least, both macOS Sierra and iOS 10 are running (relatively) smooth.

    • JN says:

      This is good to hear, I may give it a try. Usually I wait for the public beta since more of the bugs and kinks are worked out by then.

      Anyone can install it, so it’s easy to install with IPSW or with the profile on the iPhone.

      • Greg says:

        You cannot install with and IPSW. You must use the profile to update and can only be done over the air. You cannot connect to itunes to get the beta.

  30. Sebby says:

    Phew, glad I sold the iPad 3 and not the 4 (the actual user of the kept iPad wouldn’t have noticed a difference, but at least she’ll get the upgrade).

    Now on the other hand, of course, it’s just possible that the upgrade won’t be very good, but for iOS I’m cautiously optimistic.

    Question is: do I rush out and get an iPod Touch, just to beta-test it?

  31. Mark says:

    Darn it I have an iPad 4, which is compatible meaning I will constantly be nagged to update even when I don’t want too, just like osx.

  32. Ted Oqte says:

    Basically any 4 year old device or newer is covered and supports iOS 10.

    The iOS 10 page on Apple site initially said that iPad 2, iPad 3, and iPod touch 5th gen were supported. Interesting they took them down and off the list.

    Makes sense for iPhone 4s to be removed, too small of a screen and it was slow.

    • iPad 3 has 1GB of RAM, same as the iPhone 6 Plus, but Apple’s software isn’t optimized well enough to support it.

      • Shaugnary Aussen says:

        My wife has an iPad 3 running iOS 5, it’s faster than my iPhone 6! She only uses it for web browsing so it doesn’t matter that it is old software, but older iOS versions were much better optimized!

        • Josh says:

          Obviously it’s going to be faster than an iPhone 6… you’re running a far less complicated OS! One that has almost none of the latest features and is barely supported with any apps today. An iPad 3rd gen running iOS 5 may be faster than an iPhone 6 running iOS 10, but it’s far less useful, so that means nothing.

          • I would say it’s more useful with iOS 5. It’s actually fast enough to use. Try using an iPad 2 on iOS 9. Forget features, I wish I could install 7.1.2 on the thing.

        • Sam says:

          Sounds to me your Iphone 6 might be faulty, close programs and optimize your settings I’m on the latest ios and its cooking on gas

    • Floris says:

      Even iOS 8 and iOS 9 have significant performance issues on iPad 2. The latest build is just so so so sluggish. It works, and my sister is happy with it, but I couldn’t deal with it anymore (and that’s why she has it now). I upgraded to the Air 2. I can imagine why iOS10 is just not suitable for iPad 2. I am sure it could run it, but realistically it would just be a real frustration for serious and above average usage – probably an experience Apple doesn’t want to give. Not to mention the features are much more limited, and that creates additional support. I can imagine a company that wants to make a proper profit with dropping iPad sales rather helps push sales support than product support and get return customers than spend time helping the really old ones with ‘why doesn’t it have 4k video editing like it says on the site!’ ..

    • Rick says:

      iPhone 4s having a small screen has no bearing on it. Look at the screen size of an iPod touch.

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