Apple's iOS 18.6 is Apple’s next big iPhone software update and possibly the last before it issues iOS 26 this fall. Here’s what to expect.

While Apple preps for the first iOS 26 public beta, they are working on another update in tandem. iOS 18.6 will be out before iOS 26, but it won't contain many (if any) new features.

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 .