Apple has confirmed iOS 26’s public launch this fall, following the release of beta 4 to developers and testers with major UI and Apple Intelligence updates.

What these changes mean for you is that your technology experience may differ drastically depending on which type of phone you buy in the coming years.

Unlike last year, several iPhone models won't be eligible to download the newest iOS when it makes its debut this fall. This trio of models first released in 2018 won't be coming to the iOS 26 party:

With the iOS 26 public beta now out, you may have chosen to give the new software update a try ahead of its general release in the fall.

Apple's Liquid Glass makeover and expanded Apple Intelligence tools arrive this fall, but not every phone can make the leap.

Visual Intelligence is getting a new screenshot search feature in iOS 26, giving the iPhone it's own version of Google's Circle to Search.

The upcoming iOS 26 includes several new features I'm looking forward to running on my iPhone, from the Liquid Glass interface to new ways to cut down on unwanted calls and messages. But one feature I can't wait to turn on will hopefully be something I can forget about.

Testing with developer and public beta versions went smoothly for even the oldest supported models. But there are safety measures if upgrading to the beta or release version goes awry.