Customers check out Apple's iPhone XR at an Apple store.Stuart C. Wilson/Getty ImagesApple usually drops software support for some old iPhone models every year. The company unveiled its new iOS 18 operating system along with new iPhone 16 models on Monday.This year, Apple's approach to old iPhones was different. When Apple launched the iPhone XR, no one had heard of COVID-19 and most of us only wore masks at Halloween.