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How to Install Ios 12 on Unsupported Devices

Which iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models support iOS 12? Do some models "partially" support iOS 12? Which ones?

Please note that iOS 15 is the current version of the iOS. However, the below Q&A has been updated subsequently and is quite useful for anyone who is running or who wants to run iOS 12 on an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad.

Apple first previewed iOS 12 on June 4, 2018. It was released as a "public beta" on June 25, 2018 and released in its final version on September 17, 2018.

iOS 12 iPhone Features
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (iOS 12 on iPhone X)

Apple specified general compatibility in its original press release, and a few specific details in fine print elsewhere, but additional information can be useful.

New iOS 12 Features

Although the company declared it to be the "most advanced mobile operating system," Apple otherwise was a bit more humble in its promo for iOS 12 than it has been for several earlier versions of the iOS. Instead of emphasizing hundreds of new features, iOS 12 is promised to "make everyday tasks faster and more responsive." Apple also promotes that:

iOS 12 changes the way iOS users see the world using AR, makes communications fun and expressive with Memoji and Group FaceTime, and with Screen Time, helps customers understand and take control of the time they spend interacting with their iOS devices. iOS 12 introduces Siri Shortcuts, enabling Siri to work with any app, delivering a much faster way to get things done.

Although it may not get as much attention as new features, promised speed improvements of 50%-70% with basic tasks like launching the camera, loading the keyboard, and more responsive typing, are welcomed by all. Apple should be praised for their promised efforts to improve speed not just on new iOS devices, but on older ones going back to 2013, as well.

In addition to performance improvements, major new iOS 12 features include:

  • Improvements to AR including multiuser support and a new file format (usdz) to make it easier to develop AR experiences and integrate them into iOS apps.
  • Memoji: A knockoff of Samsung's AR Emoji, this feature allows you to create a human avatar inspired by your own appearance or that of someone else.
  • Group FaceTime: Originally promised to provide videochat for up to 32 people at once.
  • Siri Shortcuts: Makes it possible for Siri to trigger a series of actions with improved integration with third-party apps.
  • Screen Time: A collection of tools to help you better understand and manage your time using your iOS device. A particularly welcomed function for parents.
  • Additional privacy and security features to reduce tracking and improve password management.
  • Promised improvements to Siri functionality and language translation.

For many users, the speed boost along with the improvements in time management, privacy, and security will be the most compelling reasons to upgrade.

iOS 12 Supported Devices

Unlike iOS 11 before it, which did drop support for some devices, iOS 12 supports the same iOS devices as its predecessor.

Specifically, iOS 12 supports the "iPhone 5s and later, all iPad Air and iPad Pro models, iPad 5th generation, iPad 6th generation, iPad mini 2 and later and iPod touch 6th generation" models. A full list of supported devices is below.

However, not all features are supported by all devices. Features only supported by some devices are documented below.

Identification Help (Skip)

If you are not certain which iPhone, iPad, or iPad touch you have, most models can be identified externally by Model Number precisely enough to determine whether or not it is supported by iOS 12. However, the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X (and later devices) no longer have an external Model Number listed, which makes specific identification a bit more challenging.

Nevertheless, if your device does not have an external Model Number listed, you still can find it in the iOS "Settings" app under General > Regulatory >.

Specifically, these devices support iOS 12:

iOS 12 Supported Device

Model No

iPad Air (Wi-Fi Only)

A1474

iPad Air (Wi-Fi/Cellular)

A1475

iPad Air (Wi-Fi/TD-LTE - China)

A1476

iPad mini 2 (Retina/2nd Gen, Wi-Fi Only)

A1489

iPad mini 2 (Retina/2nd Gen, Wi-Fi/Cellular)

A1490

iPad mini 2 (Retina/2nd Gen, China)

A1491

iPad Air 2 (Wi-Fi Only)

A1566

iPad Air 2 (Wi-Fi/Cellular)

A1567

iPad mini 3 (Wi-Fi Only)

A1599

iPad mini 3 (Wi-Fi/Cellular)

A1600

iPad mini 3 (Wi-Fi/Cellular, China)

A1601

iPad mini 4 (Wi-Fi Only)

A1538

iPad mini 4 (Wi-Fi/Cellular)

A1550

iPad Pro 12.9" (Wi-Fi Only)

A1584

iPad Pro 12.9" (Wi-Fi/Cellular)

A1652

iPad Pro 9.7" (Wi-Fi Only)

A1673

iPad Pro 9.7" (Wi-Fi/Cellular)

A1674

iPad 9.7" 5th Gen (Wi-Fi Only)

A1822

iPad 9.7" 5th Gen (Wi-Fi/Cellular)

A1823

iPad Pro 10.5" (Wi-Fi Only)

A1701

iPad Pro 10.5" (Wi-Fi/Cellular)

A1709

iPad Pro 12.9" (Wi-Fi Only - 2nd Gen)

A1670

iPad Pro 12.9" (Wi-Fi/Cell - 2nd Gen)

A1671

iPad 9.7" 6th Gen (Wi-Fi Only)

A1893

iPad 9.7" 6th Gen (Wi-Fi/Cellular)

A1954

iPad Pro 11" (Wi-Fi Only)

A1980

iPad Pro 11" (Wi-Fi/Celluar - US/CA)

A2013

iPad Pro 11" (Wi-Fi/Celluar - Global)

A1934

iPad Pro 11" (Wi-Fi/Celluar - China)

A1979

iPad Pro 12.9" (Wi-Fi Only - 3rd Gen)

A1876

iPad Pro 12.9" (Wi-Fi+Cell US/CA - 3rd Gen)

A2014

iPad Pro 12.9" (Wi-Fi+Cell Global - 3rd Gen)

A1895

iPad Pro 12.9" (Wi-Fi+Cell China - 3rd Gen)

A1983

iPad Air 3rd Gen (Wi-Fi Only)

A2152

iPad Air 3rd Gen (Wi-Fi+Cell US/CA)

A2153

iPad Air 3rd Gen (Wi-Fi+Cell Global)

A2123

iPad Air 3rd Gen (Wi-Fi+Cell China)

A2154

iPad mini 5th Gen (Wi-Fi Only)

A2133

iPad mini 5th Gen (Wi-Fi+Cell US/CA)

A2126

iPad mini 5th Gen (Wi-Fi+Cell Global)

A2124

iPad mini 5th Gen (Wi-Fi+Cell China)

A2125

iPhone 5s (GSM/North America/A1533)

A1533

iPhone 5s (CDMA/Verizon/A1533)

A1533

iPhone 5s (CDMA/China Telecom/A1533)

A1533

iPhone 5s (CDMA/US/Japan/A1453)

A1453

iPhone 5s (UK/Europe/Middle East/A1457)

A1457

iPhone 5s (China Unicom/A1528)

A1528

iPhone 5s (Asia Pacific/A1530)

A1530

iPhone 5s (China Mobile/A1518)

A1518

iPhone 6 (GSM/North America/A1549)

A1549

iPhone 6 (CDMA/Verizon/A1549)

A1549

iPhone 6 (Global/Sprint/A1586)

A1586

iPhone 6 (China Mobile/A1589)

A1589

iPhone 6 Plus (GSM/North America/A1522)

A1522

iPhone 6 Plus (CDMA/Verizon/A1522)

A1522

iPhone 6 Plus (Global/Sprint/A1524)

A1524

iPhone 6 Plus (China Mobile/A1593)

A1593

iPhone 6s (AT&T/SIM Free/A1633)

A1633

iPhone 6s (Global/A1688)

A1688

iPhone 6s (Mainland China/A1700)

A1700

iPhone 6s (China Mobile/A1691)

A1691

iPhone 6s Plus (AT&T/SIM Free/A1634)

A1634

iPhone 6s Plus (Global/A1687)

A1687

iPhone 6s Plus (Mainland China/A1699)

A1699

iPhone 6s Plus (China Mobile/A1690)

A1690

iPhone SE (United States/A1662)

A1662

iPhone SE (Global/Sprint/A1723)

A1723

iPhone SE (China Mobile/A1724)

A1724

iPhone 7 (Verizon/Sprint/China/A1660)

A1660

iPhone 7 (AT&T/T-Mobile/Global/A1778)

A1778

iPhone 7 (Japan/A1779)

A1779

iPhone 7 (China Mobile/A1780)

A1780

iPhone 7 Plus (Verizon/Sprint/China/A1661)

A1661

iPhone 7 Plus (AT&T/T-Mobile/Global/A1784)

A1784

iPhone 7 Plus (Japan/A1785)

A1785

iPhone 7 Plus (China Mobile/A1786)

A1786

iPhone 8 (Verizon/Sprint/China/A1863)

A1863*

iPhone 8 (AT&T/T-Mobile/Global/A1905)

A1905*

iPhone 8 (Japan/A1906)

A1906*

iPhone 8 (China Mobile/A1907)

A1907*

iPhone 8 Plus (Verizon/Sprint/China/A1864)

A1864*

iPhone 8 Plus (AT&T/T-Mobile/Global/A1897)

A1897*

iPhone 8 Plus (Japan/A1898)

A1898*

iPhone 8 Plus (China Mobile/A1899)

A1899*

iPhone X (Verizon/Sprint/China/A1865)

A1865*

iPhone X (AT&T/T-Mobile/Global/A1901)

A1901*

iPhone X (Japan/A1902)

A1902*

iPhone Xs (US/Canada/Hong Kong/A1920)

A1920*

iPhone Xs (Global/A2097)

A2097*

iPhone Xs (Japan/A2098)

A2098*

iPhone Xs (China/A2100)

A2100*

iPhone Xs Max (US/Canada/A1921)

A1921*

iPhone Xs Max (Global/A2101)

A2101*

iPhone Xs Max (Japan/A2102)

A2102*

iPhone Xs Max (China/Hong Kong/A2104)

A2104*

iPhone XR (US/Canada/A1984)

A1984*

iPhone XR (Global/A2105)

A2105*

iPhone XR (Japan/A2106)

A2106*

iPhone XR (China/Hong Kong/A2108)

A2108*

iPod touch (6th Gen, 2015)

A1574

iPod touch (7th Gen, 2019)

A2178


* These devices do not have an external Model Number. You can find this identifier on these models in the iOS "Settings" app under General > Regulatory >.

You might also consider using the Order Number for identification, which is specified as "Model" within the iOS "Settings" app under General > About.

For example, in the United States, this "Model" within the iOS looks like MQ7R2LL/A, which specifically refers to an iPhone 8 (AT&T/A1905) in Silver with 256 GB of storage sold on AT&T.

Everyi.com's Ultimate iLookup feature -- as well as the EveryMac app for iOS 5 and newer -- can identify these devices by order numbers from around the world and by device Serial Numbers, too.

iOS 12 Feature Support

The most important features are supported universally by iOS 12, but there are some device specific differences:

  • Memoji: iPhone X and later.
  • Camera Effects (within Messages and FaceTime): iPhone 6s and later, 10.5" iPad Pro, 12.9" iPad Pro (2nd Gen) and iPad 6th Gen and later.
  • ARKit 2: iPhone 6s and later, iPad 5th Gen and later, and iPad Pro.
  • Siri Suggestions for Shortcuts: iPhone 6s or later, iPad 5th Gen and later, iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4, and iPad Pro.

In other words, among iOS 12 supported devices, support for these features are as follows:

Memoji Camera Effects ARKit 2 Siri Suggestions
iPad mini 2 No No No No
iPad mini 3 No No No No
iPad mini 4 No No No Yes
iPad mini 5 No No Yes Yes
iPad Air No No No No
iPad Air 2 No No No Yes
iPad Air 3 No No Yes Yes
iPad 5th Gen No No Yes Yes
iPad 6th Gen No Yes Yes Yes
iPad Pro 12.9" No No Yes Yes
iPad Pro 9.7" No No Yes Yes
iPad Pro 10.5" No Yes Yes Yes
iPad Pro 12.9" 2 No Yes Yes Yes
iPad Pro 11" No Yes Yes Yes
iPad Pro 12.9" 3 No Yes Yes Yes
iPhone 5s No No No No
iPhone 6 No No No No
iPhone 6s No Yes Yes Yes
iPhone SE No Yes Yes Yes
iPhone 7 No Yes Yes Yes
iPhone 8 No Yes Yes Yes
iPhone X Yes Yes Yes Yes
iPhone XS Yes Yes Yes Yes
iPhone XR Yes Yes Yes Yes
iPod touch 6 No No No No
iPod touch 7 No No Yes No


The performance improvement still is noticeable on devices that do not support these features, though.

iOS 12 Summary

As always, when iOS 12 was released, it was wise to wait for a "bug fix" update or two before upgrading, but iOS 12 quickly became more stable and the performance improvement is readily apparent. Accordingly, there is little reason not to upgrade a compatible device to iOS 12 from an earlier version of the iOS.

Even ignoring additional features, iOS 12 is a worthwhile upgrade for speed improvements alone and likely will encourage most of those with older devices still running iOS 10 because iOS 11 was slower -- the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, original iPad Air, and iPad mini 2, in particular -- to make the jump to iOS 12, as well.

iOS 12's improvements in time management, privacy, and security also should be welcomed by just about everyone, too.

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How to Install Ios 12 on Unsupported Devices

Source: https://everymac.com/systems/apple/iphone/iphone-faq/iphone-ipad-ipod-touch-models-full-partial-ios-12-support.html