When Will iOS 18.5 Be Released?
Apple is testing an iOS 18.5 update with developers and public beta testers, and we've had three betas so far. There aren't any notable changes so far, but the update will still bring important bug fixes and security improvements. So when can we expect it?
Based on historical release timelines for x.5 updates, iOS 18.5 and its sister updates are likely to launch in May. Here's when we saw updates in prior years:
Many of Apple's x.5 updates are released around the middle of the month, so the week of May 12 is a solid guess, though the week of May 19 is also a possibility.
Though we've only had three betas so far, there are so few new features in iOS 18.5 that we probably won't need too many more betas for it to be ready to launch.
Apple's x.5 updates have historically had fewer features than earlier releases, because Apple is often already transitioning much of its new development to the next-generation version of iOS. We're just a couple of months way from when iOS 19 will be introduced at WWDC, so Apple is working to get it ready to go.
iOS 18.5 won't be the last update to iOS 18, and we'll likely see at least one more major point update before iOS 19 rolls out this fall.
Popular Stories
Apple has added a new "iPhone Handoff" feature to iOS 27 that will allow you to switch between two iPhones while using the same phone number on each device.
This functionality was briefly mentioned during the WWDC 2026 keynote in June, on a slide that listed hundreds of new features coming in iOS 27 and corresponding software updates, but Apple never shared any further details at the time.
...
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today further outlined what to expect from the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 set to be unveiled on September 9.
While it was initially rumored that Touch ID may be coming to the Apple Watch this year, Gurman reiterated that he does not expect the Series 12 or Ultra 4 to have any major design changes compared to the current Series 11 and Ultra 3 models.
...
Apple's former hardware engineering chief John Ternus became its CEO on Tuesday, and the company made a controversial decision on his very first day in charge.
As of Tuesday, Apple Maps users in the U.S. see the name "Lake America" instead of Lake Ontario for the Great Lake that straddles the New York—Ontario border.
Apple made this change after the U.S. Geographic Names Information...
