Friday the 13th has a ring of bad luck to it, and this month, it has brought a change of status to the iPhone XS. As of June 13, that phone is added to its vintage product list. Here’s why, and what it means.
Apple adds products to its vintage (and later its obsolete) lists on a strict schedule, shown on a support page. “Products are considered vintage when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 5 and less than 7 years ago,” the company says.
The iPhone XS went on sale in September 2018 and though it was discontinued a year later, it was still on sale through select resellers. So, that means it’s only just passed the five-year point to reach vintage status, something spotted by Joe Rossignol at MacRumors.
This doesn’t mean the phone is no longer usable, nor that Apple won’t support it — though it’s now on a countdown to obsolete, which will mean it’s not supported at all. More on that below.
For now, you can still get the phone repaired either by an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider, although this is subject to the continuing availability of parts, and there’s no guarantee how long that will be.
As for software support, the iPhone XS runs the current software, iOS 18, but it will not be compatible with this fall’s update, which is called iOS 26 (as part of a wholesale renaming policy by Apple for the operating systems for all its devices) though the latest iPhone 16 series will be supported.
This also doesn’t mean it won’t receive software updates. Apple routinely releases new updates to the previous OS when the next one launches, primarily for those users who aren’t ready to jump on board with the next version.
Additionally, it will usually continue with software updates containing security fixes, for instance, for some months after the new OS has taken root.
Things change when the iPhone reaches obsolete status, which for the iPhone XS will be in two years’ time.
“Products are considered obsolete when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 7 years ago… Apple discontinues all hardware service for obsolete products, and service providers cannot order parts for obsolete products,” the company says.
For now, though, if you’re happy with the iPhone XS, there’s no urgent need to switch.
