Apple supports its devices for many years after production, so older phones will still get updates.
The two primary areas Apple supports its devices are its software and hardware. The software support addresses bugs and security flaws and provides newer features, while the hardware support provides improved parts for smartphones.
But the question we’re all wondering specifically is: Just how long will the iPhone XR be supported?
Typically, Apple provides official support for its smartphones for up to 7 years after its original release and about four years after its discontinuation.
This means that iPhone XR users can expect support for their devices until 2025.
Users will, in this period, still enjoy new features released with more recent versions of iOS – as long as their hardware can support it!
Apple Origins
When Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne founded Apple Computers, Inc. in 1976, they could not have foreseen that the company would be one of the most valuable in the world in just over forty years.
With a market value of $2.63 trillion at the time of writing in 2024 and well over 154,000 employees across multiple countries, Apple Computers, Inc. has grown to become a juggernaut in the consumer electronics industry.
Apple made personal computers beginning with the Apple 1, then the wildly successful Apple 2.
It went public in 1980 and, with the new financial success, developed newer computers that featured innovative graphical interfaces. It was successful in the 1980s but saw a decline that led to near bankruptcy in the late 1990s.
Steve Jobs left Apple due to internal bickering and founded NeXT in 1985. Apple purchased NeXT in 1997 and brought Steve Jobs back to the company he had co-founded over 20 years before.
Purchase of the Apple Store website and production of the all-in-one computer called the iMac saw the company roar back into profitability.
The company created several successful products, including its range of personal computers, which had been its primary products since its inception. The iPod launched in 2001, the iPhone in 2007, and the hugely popular iPad launched in January 2010.
Categorized as “Wearables, Home and Accessories,” Apple also makes products such as its wireless headphones, which it calls Airpods, and smartwatches which it calls the Apple Watch.
Its other services include Apple Pay, Apple Books, Apple TV, and the iTunes Store.
The iPhone
At the Macworld Expo in January of 2007, Steve Jobs announced the iPhone during his keynote speech.
Apple built the iPhone’s user interface around a multitouch screen, and it could connect to a cellular network or WiFi. The iPhone was popular, selling over 270,000 units in its first 30 hours of launch.
Only a year later, in 2008, the 3G version was released. Dubbed the iPhone 3G, it had 3G-enabled hardware, GPS, and it came with the iPhone OS 2.0, which introduced the Apple Store.
The original iPhone and its successor, the iPhone 3G, were Apple’s first foray into the smartphone market, which Nokia and Research In Motions Blackberry controlled. A strong showing from Apple had them in 3rd place rankings at the end of 2008.
The company’s mobile operating system, called iOS, powers the company’s range of mobile devices, with the Apple Store containing more than 2.1 million iOS applications.
Released in September of 2022, the current version of the iOS is the iOS 16. The iOS 16 powers Apple’s latest iteration of mobile devices, initially shipping with the iPhone 14.
Nomenclature
Apple chose numbers for the names of its smartphones, and they came in quick successions following the explosion of smartphone use.
The iPhone 3G was followed by the iPhone 4 in April 2011, and then the iPhone 5 in 2012. The iPhone 5C and 5S followed in 2013, with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus released in 2014.
When the iPhone 7 and the 7 Plus launched in 2016, the smartphone had water and dust resistance added to its list of features.
The new iOS significantly improved the iPhone’s systems and graphics performance, and these models also marked the removal of the 3.5mm jack.
In 2017, brimming with success and a larger share of the smartphone market, Apple released the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus with its new glass design and camera improvements.
Although not novel, the iPhone 8 series of smartphones came with wireless charging as a standard feature.
In the same 2017, Apple Inc. released the iPhone X (skipping the infamous 9). This was the first time that Apple veered away from the numbering nomenclature.
The iPhone X launched with the tiniest bezel on any iPhone yet, and it also came with a facial recognition feature called “Face ID.”
The change in terminology caused a bit of confusion initially, with most people wondering if the iPhone X was a part of the iPhone 8 series or its successor. Apple Inc. did not make this clarification until a year later.
iPhone XR
In September of 2018, Apple Inc. released the iPhone XS, XS Max, and the XR amidst unprecedented financial and market share success.
Loyal iPhone users considered this series of smartphones the true successor to the iPhone 8.
Some people regarded the iPhone X as a stand-alone series, with the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR considered a second-generation iPhone X, but also a part of the twelfth generation of iPhones.
The least expensive of the released trio is the iPhone XR, with some calling it the budget flagship.
Budget or not, the iPhone XR shipped with the A12 Bionic chip, which Apple dubbed “the smartest and most powerful chip” ever put in a smartphone.
Available in 64, 128, and 256GB variants, the “affordable flagship” also came in black, white, blue, yellow, and “product” red colors.
The smartphone is rated IP67 water and dust resistant, keeping it safe from spills and splashes, although its siblings were rated IP68 at the time.
Not satisfied with being 2018s best selling model, by the 3rd quarter of 2019, the XR had become the top-selling and most popular smartphone in the world.
By September of 2020, it had sold over 77.4 million units, thus making it the 8th best-selling smartphone of all time.
Originally shipped with the iOS 12 out of the box, the iPhone XR is compatible with the most recent iOS 16, to which users can upgrade.
The iPhone XR was discontinued in September of 2021, although you may still be able to get brand-new or refurbished versions from some authorized retailers.
Wrapping Up
The iPhone XR is still a good buy. Even by today’s standards, its hardware and software are still great performers.
Its pricing makes it even more appealing to those who want an iPhone with its great features but on a budget – and, to top it off, they can still expect a few more years of support!