Unknown Apple model number spotted as iPhone 15 event nears

With less than a month to go before the iPhone 15 is unveiled, the tech world has had its first semi-official acknowledgment that the device exists. In accordance with the usual pre-launch routine, a codename that almost certainly refers to the new iPhone has been spotted in a regulatory database.

The tech site MySmartPrice noticed an Apple phone with the model number A3094 on the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) database. Based on the number and on past behavior, this model number is almost certainly the iPhone 15 or one of its siblings. The number doesn’t correspond to any known iPhone, and is higher than the model numbers of the current crop, which all begin with A2:

• iPhone 14: A2649, A2881, A2884, A2883, A2882
• iPhone 14 Plus: A2632, A2885, A2888, A2887, A2886
• iPhone 14 Pro: A2650, A2889, A2892, A2891, A2890
• iPhone 14 Pro Max: A2651, A2893, A2896, A2895, A2894

Despite its diligent and mostly effective attempts to keep imminent launches secret, Apple is still subject to the time demands of regulatory requirements. If it wants to get a new product in shops around a week after unveiling it, as the company likes to do, the relevant authorities need to be notified ahead of time, and their databases are publicly available. The routine remains the same ahead of almost every major Apple launch, with the only variation being the amount of time between database filing and official announcement.

In 2022, the third-gen iPhone SE and fifth-gen iPad Air were spotted in the Eurasian Economic Commission’s database a little under two months before they were launched. The year before, the 16-inch MacBook Pro popped up on a Chinese database six months ahead of its announcement. And as MacRumors notes, the iPhone 14 appeared in the very same BIS database almost exactly a year ago.

In other words, this is all entirely expected; it would have been a bigger surprise if nobody managed to find a reference to a new iPhone in a regulatory database somewhere in the world. For the real revelations, sadly, we will need to wait until the iPhone 15 event, which is currently expected to take place on September 12 or 13.

For all the latest news and rumors ahead of the launch, check our regularly updated iPhone 15 superguide.

Author: David Price, Editor