Is the Apple iPhone SE (1st generation) still supported?
End-of-support date: June 2027.
Time until support ends
Our estimateJune 2027
Source: Apple's documentation · verified 2026-06-12
What happens when support ends
- 🔓 Security risk grows monthly. New vulnerabilities are discovered constantly; on an unsupported phone they are never fixed. Banking, payments, email, and password apps become progressively riskier.
- 📱 Apps drop off. Developers raise their minimum OS requirements over time — first you lose updates to apps, then the apps themselves.
- 💸 Resale value falls fast.The market prices support: once a phone leaves a manufacturer's update list, its used value drops sharply and keeps falling.
More questions about the iPhone SE (1st generation)
How long will the iPhone SE (2016) get updates?
Its highest major version is iOS 15, but Apple has kept releasing iOS 15 security updates (15.8.x) into 2026. Those security-only patches may continue into roughly 2027, although feature updates ended years ago.
Why does the first-gen iPhone SE last so long?
It shares the A9 chip and internals of the iPhone 6s, so it received the same iOS 15 ceiling and the same ongoing iOS 15 security backports that keep it patched.
Is the iPhone SE (2016) good for small-phone fans in 2026?
Yes, if you truly want a 4-inch phone and only need basic use. It still gets security patches, but its tiny battery and iOS 15 limit mean it is best as a compact secondary device.
Safer alternatives
All three carry a GREEN Safe-to-Buy badge today.
Data sources & last verified: this phone's support window comes from documented update history (estimate — see our methodology), last verified 2026-06-12. How we compute end dates.