How do you determine if your iPhone is eligible for the latest Safari?
I'm developing a game using WebGL and I'm looking to use WebGL2, but currently Safari doesn't support it. However, the next version of Safari (15), which is set to release this fall via the Monterrey update, will!
However, I'm still not sure whether or not it is a good idea to use WebGL2, considering I am not sure how quickly the support for WebGL2 will convert amongst iOS users.
That is, will only new iPhones be eligible for the latest Safari? Does it automatically update, or manually? And if currently released iPhones are eligible, then what determines how far back eligibility goes? Will iPhones released from several years ago also have access to the latest version of Safari? Also, will Safari 15 release for Desktop and iOS simultaneously?
How do you determine if your iPhone is eligible for the latest Safari?
By determining if the iPhone is capable of running the latest version of iOS. Safari comes bundled with iOS and a version of Safari is tied to the version of iOS running on device.
will only new iPhones be eligible for the latest Safari?
All the iPhones that support running iOS 15 will be able to run the desired version of Safari. iOS 15 is supported on the following iPhone:
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (2020 - second generation)
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XR
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 7
- iPhone SE (first generation)
- iPhone 6s Plus
- iPhone 6s
Does it automatically update, or manually?
Supported iPhone does not automatically update to iOS 15. They have to be updated with the consent of the user.
And if currently released iPhones are eligible, then what determines how far back eligibility goes?
Apple decides which model of iPhone to support with the upcoming release of iOS. All the iPhone which ran iOS 13 and iOS 14 are capable of running iOS 15. This included iPhone as far back as iPhone 6s, released in September 2015.
Will iPhones released from several years ago also have access to the latest version of Safari?
All the iPhone released in the year 2015 and later are capable of running iOS 15.
Also, will Safari 15 release for Desktop and iOS simultaneously?
Only Apple can answer that, but from historical pattern, a new major of iOS/iPadOS and macOS are made around the same time frame. Sometime they get released simultaneously, but the release can also happen a few weeks apart.