Great news! If your iPhone was able to run iOS 17, it can also run iOS 18. Apple has maintained support for all devices that were compatible with iOS 17. This means that if you own an iPhone XR or iPhone XS from 2018 or newer (including the second- and third-generation iPhone SE), you can download and install iOS 18. To check which model you have, go to the Settings app, tap on General, then About, and look at the Model Name. Note that not all features will be available on older models; for instance, Apple Intelligence is exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro models.
The situation is slightly different for iPads, where compatibility depends on the hardware generation rather than specific device names. Here are the iPad generations that support iPadOS 18 (note that some older models are no longer supported). To find out which iPad model you have, follow these instructions.
- iPad: 7th generation and later
- iPad Mini: 5th generation and later
- iPad Air: 3rd generation and later (including M2)
- iPad Pro 11-inch: 1st generation and later
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch: 3rd generation and later (including M4)
Currently, iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 are available only for developers. A public beta is expected to be released in July, which will allow you to try out the new features. Keep in mind that beta versions can be very buggy, so it’s always a good idea to back up your device before installing a beta.
