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Because iOS 16.0 is going to be a new major OS, I would upgrade to 15.6.1. Unfortunately, there is no going back but as others have said, iOS 12 and later introduced major security changes that we all can benefit from. Another thing, if I remember correctly, iOS 11 was a rough year for apple in terms of bugs and issues.
 
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You can’t install versions of iOS that aren’t being signed by Apple, even if you have a copy of the installer. There hasn’t been a version of iOS 12 eligible to install on an iPhone 8 in years.
Can I still update to iOS 15.6.1 if I’ll have the installer saved on my PC or it will not be available anymore at the moment iOS 16 will be released?
 
Can I still update to iOS 15.6.1 if I’ll have the installer saved on my PC or it will not be available anymore at the moment iOS 16 will be released?
15.6.1 would stay available for some time, but how long is unknown. 15.7 will likely release as a security update at or about the same time as 16.0 so 15.6.1 may not be signed for very long.
 
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You can’t install versions of iOS that aren’t being signed by Apple, even if you have a copy of the installer. There hasn’t been a version of iOS 12 eligible to install on an iPhone 8 in years.
Forgot about that. I guess I was thinking about backups instead. Thanks for the reminder.
 
15.6.1 would stay available for some time, but how long is unknown. 15.7 will likely release as a security update at or about the same time as 16.0 so 15.6.1 may not be signed for very long.
Does it mean that I’ll get 2 iOS updates on my phone at the same time or 15.7 first and 16 a little later? At what time is it possible to "catch" iOS 15.7?
 
Update your phone to iOS 15.6.1 today, and stop overthinking!!! Unless you want to use your iPhone as an iPod, staying on iOS 11 is simply not an option

Once you have updated to iOS 15.6.1, your phone will have the ability to see different update tracks. This feature was released in iOS 14 so if you stay on 11 only 16.0 will be available once that version has been released.

If you have made it to iOS 15.6.1, the big iOS 16 upgrade will maybe just show as ”Also available” in the update screen, with iOS 15.7 showing up as a normal update above it.
 
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I absolutely wouldn’t do it. It will obliterate battery life. Possibly, performance might be decent (some might differ), but battery life will be abhorrent compared to what you get now. Apple forced my iPhone 6s out of iOS 9 to iOS 13, and battery life went from 8-9 hours of Screen-on time to barely scraping 3. Apple forced my 9.7-inch iPad Pro to iOS 12 and battery life was severely dimished as well, going from around 14.5 hours of screen-on time with light use to barely scraping 9-10 with even lighter use. Anything heavier and it would be horrible. The iPhone 6s was deemed unusable as a mobile device, going from a decent - but not too great due to battery size - 6.5 hours of LTE to an absolutely unusable runtime of 2.5 hours at best.

You’re better off keeping the iPhone 8+ on iOS 11.0 and getting the cheapest decent iPhone you can find, in my honest opinion.
 
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Two completely opposite opinions in a row… Thank you though, for your advices!
 
I absolutely wouldn’t do it. It will obliterate battery life. Possibly, performance might be decent (some might differ), but battery life will be abhorrent compared to what you get now. Apple forced my iPhone 6s out of iOS 9 to iOS 13, and battery life went from 8-9 hours of Screen-on time to barely scraping 3. Apple forced my 9.7-inch iPad Pro to iOS 12 and battery life was severely dimished as well, going from around 14.5 hours of screen-on time with light use to barely scraping 9-10 with even lighter use. Anything heavier and it would be horrible. The iPhone 6s was deemed unusable as a mobile device, going from a decent - but not too great due to battery size - 6.5 hours of LTE to an absolutely unusable runtime of 2.5 hours at best.

You’re better off keeping the iPhone 8+ on iOS 11.0 and getting the cheapest decent iPhone you can find, in my honest opinion.
Did you try changing battery on your device? Can it help?
 
Did you try changing battery on your device? Can it help?
I didn’t. It will help, to a degree. Reports on the iPhone 6s on iOS 15 after battery replacements hover around 3 to 4 hours, less if used heavily. Degraded batteries are unusable, with people often reporting about 1 to 2 hours at most. Even if we are hopeful and take the high-end estimate, it doubles battery life. Which is still not good, I’m getting 6-6.5 hours of on-screen battery life on LTE on my 6s on iOS 10 with… 68% health! Admittedly, with light use, but a new battery on iOS 15 would probably get, at most, 50 to 60% of that, maybe even less.
 
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Should I upgrade it still? I'm very concerned that any of those heavy updates may have a negative impact on my phone's system.
If mine I would leave as is.
I've even heard that someone's phone was bricked after an unfortunate update. And then, there is no going back, no solution, right?
Rare and DFU should reset to iOS11
For now, it works fine, except some apps on it (including Internet browsers and Instagram) can't be updated anymore.
Try different browsers, i.e. Dolphin, Chrome - many apps can be ignored if there is mobile web access PLUS apps access your info, many browsers can be set to NOT do so.
I can't see my phone's battery health.
Try Coconut Battery and/or iMazing, both have free editions.

I don't use for Banking or Shopping where security might be an issue (a common reason to upgrade).

When I upgraded one of my phones to iOS15 my computer no longer recognized my phone.

If you are convinced you need an upgrade, don't wait. Be prepared however for decreased battery life, very slow processing and in general reduced performance.

It is a well know fact that no device runs BETTER than is does with the OS the the designers built the machine for.

You can buy another iP8 or newer SE (2020) used/refurb that may well have iOS14 or 15 on it. They sell for a little over $100.
Yours w/ iOS11 if in good shape and the box might well sell for more.
 
Try different browsers, i.e. Dolphin, Chrome - many apps can be ignored if there is mobile web access PLUS apps access your info, many browsers can be set to NOT do so.
I'm currently already using Chrome. Can't upgrade it, therefore, many websites cannot be displayed as they should be.

When I upgraded one of my phones to iOS15 my computer no longer recognized my phone.
What iPhone was it?

It is a well know fact that no device runs BETTER than is does with the OS the the designers built the machine for.
Do you mean iOS version the device comes with from the box? Do you think we shouldn't upgrade at all? I'm not sure about that.
You can buy another iP8 or newer SE (2020) used/refurb that may well have iOS14 or 15 on it. They sell for a little over $100.
Yours w/ iOS11 if in good shape and the box might well sell for more.
Actually, I can afford a new phone. The thing is, I love my current phone. Love it's big IPS screen, button and overall design. And it is in perfect condition, too. It looks new.
 
I also have an iPad Pro M1 2021. It runs iPad OS 14.7.1 from the box. Learning from my mistakes with an iPhone, I should upgrade it to iOS 15.6.1 and further later? At least some time, I shouldn't be concerned upgrading relatively new device, right?
 
I also have an iPad Pro M1 2021. It runs iPad OS 14.7.1 from the box. Learning from my mistakes with an iPhone, I should upgrade it to iOS 15.6.1 and further later? At least some time, I shouldn't be concerned upgrading relatively new device, right?
I can’t tell you the exact impact - if there’s any - because I haven’t tried it, but I can tell you the historical aspects of it. Typically, the first major version might be okay. Performance-wise it probably will be, because if older devices are okay, this one is way too powerful not to. The issue is battery life.

Historically, the first iOS version is the safest. The iPhone 6s is fine on iOS 10, likewise with the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. The iPhone 7 and the iPad 5th gen saw a considerable impact by iOS 11 though, but that might be due to the fiasco that iOS version was.

If it were up to me, in the long run, it won’t make much difference in terms of app support. I’d leave it on its original iOS version. Two major iOS versions in, and risk increases exponentially; the iPad Pro 9.7 saw a considerable decrease in iOS 11, and iOS 12 only worsened it further (I can attest to that).

Maybe the M1’s efficiency makes a difference, and this is no longer the case (I’d be thrilled! I’ve been complaining about this and reading reports ever since I updated my first iPad, an iPad 4, to iOS 7. It never changed), maybe it doesn’t. Too soon to know.
 
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Will the new iPadOS 16 be released along with an iOS 16 or only in October?
 
When I upgraded one of my phones to iOS15 my computer no longer recognized my phone.
> What iPhone was it?
iPse 2020 but nothing to do w/ the device, iOS15 needs a newer version of iTunes than we have on our Macs.

====

>Do you mean iOS version the device comes with from the box? Do you think we shouldn't upgrade at all? I'm not sure about that.

Like FeliApple said above: "Historically, the first iOS version is the safest."
 
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