Incompatible iOS 18.7.1 update suggestion on iPhone 6 2020

Unfortunately, AI is not flawless. iPhone 6 can be updated to iOS 12, no further than that. You write iPhone 6 2020, you probably shouldn't mean iPhone SE 2020? (iPhone SE 2.gen) - it can be updated all the way to iOS 26.

If you are in doubt which iOS version your iPhone can be updated to, see here:

iPhone models compatible with iOS 26 - Apple Support (IN)

(Use the drop down menu to see the desired iOS version)

Inscrutable Michie wrote:

Pardon my misnaming of my phone. I guess I put 2020 because that was the year I purchased it and I know there was an older version of iPhone 6. I hope this clarifies. Looking on my iPhone it says iPhone SE as Model name, Model number Nx9K2LL/A. Right now I have iOS Version 17.6.1.

That would make it an iPhone SE (2nd generation). The iPhone SE (1st generation) could not update past iOS 15, and the iPhone SE (3rd generation) did not come out until 2022.

I looked it up again and it still say my iPhone is not compatible.

What are you using to do the lookup? The iPhone SE (2nd generation) is on the compatibility lists in both of these official Apple Support articles. If an AI summary in a search result is telling you something different, I do not think I'd take the AI's word for it.

How to download iOS 18 - Apple Support

iPhone models compatible with iOS 26 - Apple Support

Note that while your iPhone is capable of running iOS 18, Apple likes to encourage people to update their phones to the latest version of iOS those phones are capable of running. They might stop signing iOS 18 (if they haven't already), leaving your options either to stay on iOS 17.* (with automatic updates turned off), or to go to iOS 26.*.

Well, Apple doesn't want you to update your phone to iOS 18.7.1, because an iPhone 6, cannot be updated past iOS 12. But you may want to use some app, which requires a higher iOS version than your phone can support and when you try to use or download an app which does require a higher level iOS version, you'll be prompted to update your phone. But you can't update your phone, so you simply won't be able to use any app which requires an iOS version higher than iOS 12. Which means, since you're using a totally obsolete iPhone, there are many apps which you can't use on your iPhone.

Your subject says iPhone 6 2020. iPhone 6 was released in 2014, 11 years ago. There is no such thing as an iPhone 6 2020.

You own an iPhone SE second generation. It is fully capable of being updated to iOS 26.1, the most current iOS version. But if you haven't updated beyond iOS 17, it means you have skipped of LOT of updates so you'll have success updating your iPhone using either a Mac (with Finder) or Windows 11 (with Apple Devices) computer.

See how you can do that here --> Update your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

See the top section about using a Mac or Windows computer to update and click the appropriate link.

There is no such thing as an iPhone 6 2020.

There is an iPhone SE 2020, which is a different animal entirely.

Yes iphone 6 is from 2014, as JSBerg says, you are confused about the model..

The App Store error message doesn't say how to get a newer version of iOS. It just tells you that you need to do to be able to download and use the app in question.

In some cases, your phone can update to that version of iOS, or a later one.

In other cases, it can't, and the only way to "update" to a version of iOS that can run the app is to get a new / newer phone.

I suspect that the App Store code only. checks what version of iOS your phone is running now, and does not check the maximum version of iOS it can support. Thus the "one size fits all" error message – which can be confusing in the second case, where the only possible "update" involves replacing the phone.

I think I understand. You want to update your iPhone SE 2nd Gen from iOS 17.6.1 to iOS 18.7.1?

Unfortunately, you can't. Since the iPhone SE supports iOS 26, that's the version you need to update to. iOS 18.x.x is no longer being signed, so models that are compatible with iOS 26 will need to update to iOS 26 if they are on a lower version.

In other words, you can't jump from iOS 17 to 18, but you will need to jump from 17 to iOS 26. However, you will need to update from a computer, as it is not possible to update OTA (Over the air) when you skip a software version.

You can find information on how to update your iPhone from a computer here:

Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with the Finder - Apple Support

(If you have a Mac, update with Finder. Windows, update with iTunes)

Servant of Cats wrote:

They might stop signing iOS 18 (if they haven't already), leaving your options either to stay on iOS 17.* (with automatic updates turned off), or to go to iOS 26.*.

Just a heads up. Apple is no longer signing iOS 18 for iOS 26 compatible devices. That party is over.

Inscrutable Michie wrote:

I don't want to update because it's not compatible but the alert is always on. I don't know why Apple would have this alert on but I cannot remove it. It would be nice if Apple would address removing this alert.

That's not correct. Your iPhone IS compatible. Only instead of being updated to iOS 18.7.1, you'll be updated to the absolute latest iOS 26.1.