If it feels like a long time since the last iPhone update, it’s because it is. Well, the last update, iOS 18.5, landed on May 12, and there hasn’t been a smaller, security release in between — a sign that as the software nears the end of the cycle that it’s pretty solid. Here’s what’s in the new release and how to get it.
Apple has also revealed that there are 24 security updates contained in the release, as well as highlighting one fix to an issue in the Photos app. That’s 25 reasons Apple is urging people to update. Should you? Read my post on how the new update has been received, coming July 30.
By the way, at the time iOS 18.5 came out, it was thought it would be followed this fall by iOS 19, but Apple announced a few weeks later a complete overhaul of its naming system, with each OS having a year number attached — the year when it will mostly be used, in this case 2026.
Which iPhones Can Run iOS 18.6?
Like every other release in the iOS 18 cycle, iOS 18.6 is compatible with all iPhones from 2018 onwards. That means the iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max and iPhone XR and all iPhones since. This list includes the iPhone SE in both its second- and third-generation models. And all members of the iPhone 16 series are included, right up to the iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 16e. Please note that this may be the last time I type those words: iOS 26, currently in public beta, is only compatible with iPhone 11 series and later. It will go on general release in September.
How To Get It
You’ve doubtless done this many times by now, but just in case: open the iPhone Settings app, then choose General, followed by Software Update. Next, click on Download and Install, and it’ll be on your phone shortly. This is a large- sized update, 1.07GB on my iPhone 16 Pro Max.
iOS 18.6 — What’s In The Release
This late in a release cycle there’s rarely any prospect of much in the way of new features. That’s the case here. It’s almost all about bug fixes and security updates, which Apple will define in due course.
But there is one change, an issue for the Photos app. Apple reveals this update, “fixes an issue in Photos that could prevent memory movies from being shared,” the release notes state.
This isn’t an issue I’ve personally seen, but Apple has fixed it.
Then there are the two-dozen security fixes. Of these, one third are related to WebKit, which underpins Safari, and which could see a user’s sensitive information revealed or result in fake web address information if visiting a malicious website.
There are also accessibility issues, such as an alarming one where VoiceOver could be used to read a passcode aloud and another where the privacy indicators — the little orange dot on the iPhone screen that shows the microphone is active, and the green dot that confirms the camera is on — could be incorrectly displayed.
Why so many security issues? Well, as mentioned above, the last iOS update was in the second week of May, so more than 11 weeks before this new release.
The next update? It’s likely to be iOS 26 in September, unless there’s something that needs addressing because of this release.
This article was originally published on forbes.com.
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