Originally published at: https://tidbits.com/2025/06/12/the-real-system-requirements-for-os-26/
Apple has released developer betas of macOS 26 Tahoe, iOS 26, iPadOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26, with public betas scheduled for July and final releases expected in September or October. Many people are eager to learn whether their current hardware will support the new operating systems or if they’ll need to consider upgrading to stay current. Overall, Apple has continued its strategy of dropping support for only a few older models and limiting some advanced features to devices capable of running them. For comparison with last year’s list, see “The Real System Requirements for Apple’s 2024 Operating Systems” (12 July 2024).
In recent years, when Apple previews its upcoming operating systems, it has provided detailed footnotes explaining compatibility for specific features; however, this year, those footnotes are few and far between. The paucity of clarification might be because most of the promoted features are compatible with all supported devices, or perhaps Apple isn’t discussing the features that would require such footnotes. For instance, external display support is reportedly still limited to iPads with an M-series chip, but that’s not mentioned anywhere.
The primary software requirement that remains surrounds Apple Intelligence, which is compatible with the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16 models, iPad mini (A17 Pro), and iPad and Mac models equipped with an M-series chip. That leaves out many older iPhones and iPads, as well as all Intel-based Macs. Live Translation, a major new feature, requires Apple Intelligence (see “Major Changes Coming in OS 26,” 9 June 2025).
macOS 26 Tahoe Requirements
First off, let’s address the Intel-sized gorilla in the room: Although macOS 26 will still run on some Intel-based Macs, it will be the last major version to do so. During its Platforms State of the Union presentation at WWDC, Apple announced that next year’s macOS 27 will run only on Macs with Apple silicon. Assuming Apple maintains its current policies, macOS 26 will continue to receive security updates for an additional 2 years, meaning that Intel-based Macs will lose security viability in 2028. In short, the writing is on the wall, but there’s no urgent reason to upgrade. An 8- or 9-year run for those Macs isn’t too shabby.
Apple also announced that macOS 27 will be the last version of macOS to include the full Rosetta translation environment, which enables Intel-based code to run on Macs with Apple silicon. Following that, the company will retain a limited set of Rosetta functionality to support older games.
(I recently encountered an unexpected need for Rosetta on my new 14-inch MacBook Pro: the Nisus File Converter app inside Nisus Writer Pro’s app package still uses Intel code and thus requires Rosetta. Since I use it purely from within a Nisus Writer Pro macro, it took me some time to figure out why the macro was failing. ChatGPT eventually gave me the clue I needed.)
Here is the list of Macs that can run macOS 26, which includes all Macs with Apple silicon and four Intel-based Macs:
| Mac | Chip and Model Years |
|---|---|
| MacBook Air | Apple silicon (2020 and later) |
| MacBook Pro | Intel (16-inch from 2019; 13-inch with four Thunderbolt 3 ports from 2020) Apple silicon (2020 and later) |
| iMac | Intel (27-inch iMac from 2020) Apple silicon (2021 and later) |
| Mac mini | Apple silicon (2020 and later) |
| Mac Pro | Intel (2019) Apple silicon (2023 and later) |
| Mac Studio | Apple silicon (2022 and later) |
This list clarifies that Apple has dropped support for these Intel-based models capable of running macOS 15 Sequoia:
- MacBook Air from 2020
- 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models from 2018 and 2019, plus the 13-inch model with two Thunderbolt ports from 2020
- 27-inch iMac from 2019
- iMac Pro from 2017
- Mac mini from 2018
iOS 26 Requirements
The story is much simpler in the iPhone lineup. Compared to iOS 18, iOS 26 removes support for the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max from 2018, making the iPhone 11 from 2019 the oldest model still supported. Here are the compatible devices:
| iPhone | Introduced | Chip |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone 16e/16/Plus/Pro/Pro Max | 2024, 2025 | A18/A18 Pro |
| iPhone 15/Plus/Pro/Pro Max | 2023 | A16 Bionic/A17 Pro |
| iPhone 14/Plus/Pro/Pro Max | 2022 | A15 Bionic/A16 Bionic |
| iPhone 13/mini/Pro/Pro Max | 2021 | A15 Bionic |
| iPhone 12/mini/Pro/Pro Max | 2020 | A14 Bionic |
| iPhone 11/Pro/Pro Max | 2019 | A13 Bionic |
| iPhone SE (2nd–3rd generation) | 2020, 2022 | A15 Bionic |
The new Lock Screen, which features a 3D effect and dynamically adjusts the time to fit around the Lock Screen photo, is compatible with only the iPhone 12 and later models.
iPadOS 26 Requirements
Even better, iPadOS 26 drops only the 7th-generation iPad from the list of models that can run iPadOS 18. Note that Apple has changed its naming scheme for iPads to focus on the chip rather than the generation, which is why some models appear in multiple rows below. Supported models include:
| iPad | Introduced | Chip |
|---|---|---|
| iPad Pro (M4) | 2024 | M4 |
| iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd–6th generation) | 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022 | A12X Bionic, A12Z Bionic, M1, M2 |
| iPad Pro 11-inch (1st–4th generation) | 2018, 2020, 2021 | A12X Bionic, A12Z Bionic, M1 |
| iPad Air 11-inch/13-inch (M2, M3) | 2024, 2025 | M2, M3 |
| iPad Air (3rd–5th generation) | 2019, 2020, 2022 | A12 Bionic, A14 Bionic, M1 |
| iPad (A16) | 2025 | A16 |
| iPad (8th–10th generation) | 2020, 2021, 2022 | A12 Bionic, A13 Bionic, A14 Bionic |
| iPad mini (A17 Pro) | 2024 | A17 Pro |
| iPad mini (5th–6th generation) | 2019, 2021 | A12 Bionic, A15 Bionic |
Unsurprisingly, the new 3D Lock Screen also has restrictions in the iPad world, where it works on the M-series iPads and the iPad (A16), iPad mini (A17 Pro), and iPad mini (6th generation).
The community has discovered a significant improvement: Stage Manager, which was previously limited to specific iPad models, now works on every iPad that supports iPadOS 26.
watchOS 26 Requirements
The best compatibility story comes with watchOS 26, which maintains the same list as watchOS 11. As always, an iPhone running iOS 26 is required.
| Apple Watch | Introduced |
|---|---|
| Apple Watch Ultra 2 | 2023 |
| Apple Watch Ultra | 2022 |
| Apple Watch Series 10 | 2024 |
| Apple Watch Series 9 | 2023 |
| Apple Watch Series 8 | 2022 |
| Apple Watch Series 7 | 2021 |
| Apple Watch Series 6 | 2020 |
| Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) | 2022 |
The new wrist flick gesture in watchOS 26 requires either an Apple Watch Series 9 or later, or an Apple Watch Ultra 2; it doesn’t work on the Apple Watch SE.
tvOS 26 Requirements
Although tvOS 26 runs on all Apple TV models dating back to the Apple TV HD from 2015 (formerly known as the 4th-generation Apple TV), two new features have more demanding requirements:
- Liquid Glass requires an Apple TV 4K (2nd generation and later)
- Apple Music Sing requires an Apple TV 4K (3rd generation)
visionOS 26 Requirements
Since there has only been one model of the Vision Pro, there’s no concern about compatibility with visionOS 26.
HomePod Software 26 Requirements
Apple said exactly nothing (that I can find, anyway) about the HomePod during its WWDC keynote. MacRumors published a pre-event article mentioning a rumor that HomePod Software 26 would support all existing HomePods, but it provided no additional details.
Since the HomePod lacks a visual interface that could be impacted by Liquid Glass, and no current HomePods have the processing power to utilize Apple Intelligence, there’s probably not much for Apple to say. The bigger question is whether Apple is temporarily sidelining the HomePod while developing a more powerful device—possibly one with a screen—or if the company intends to let the HomePods gradually disappear.
