Before Apple releases iOS 26 this fall, the company will likely release iOS 18.6 in the next few weeks. The company released the third public beta of the software on July 15, but it didn’t change much on the iPhones of developers and beta testers. While iOS 26 will bring a major redesign to iPhones, the latest beta is filled with bug and security fixes, so developers and beta testers shouldn’t expect new features.
Since this is a beta, I recommend downloading it on something other than your primary device. Because this isn’t the final version of iOS 18.6, the update might be buggy, and battery life may be affected, so it’s best to keep those troubles off your primary device.
Note that the beta is not the final version of iOS 18.6, so more features could land on your iPhone when it is released. Apple will likely release iOS 18.6 to the general public in the next few weeks but an exact release date is unclear. However, iOS 18.6 will likely be the last significant iOS 18 update the company releases before it makes iOS 26 available this fall.
Here’s what to expect from iOS 18.6 when it lands on your iPhone.
This beta is all about security patches and squashing bugs
If you’re a developer or beta tester, don’t expect much from this beta other than bug and security fixes. After downloading and looking into iOS 18.6 beta 3, I found no new features or noticeable changes. And that’s not surprising considering Apple’s iOS release schedule over the years.
Apple announced iOS 18 at WWDC 2024 and released iOS 17.6 more than a month later in July. That update was filled with more than 30 important bug fixes and security patches but no new features. Apple recommended that everyone download the update at the time and it was the last major iOS 17 update before the release of iOS 18.
Apple did the same thing in July 2023 when it released iOS 16.6. When the tech giant released that update, it was focused on bug fixes and security patches; the next major iOS release was iOS 17.
Apple is likely shifting gears and focusing more on iOS 26. In fact, the company has already released three developer betas of that iOS software in preparation for its fall release.
There will likely be more betas before iOS 18.6 is released to the public, so there’s plenty of time for Apple to add features or change others — but I wouldn’t count on new features. Apple has not announced when it will release iOS 18.6 but because iOS 17.6 and iOS 16.6 were both released in July of 2024 and 2023, respectively, I expect Apple to release iOS 18.6 this month.
For more on iOS 18, here’s what you need to know about iOS 18.5 and iOS 18.4, as well as our iOS 18 cheat sheet. You can also check out what you should know about iOS 26.
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