What to Expect From iOS 18.6 as One of the Final Updates Before iOS 26
It has been three weeks as of today since Apple released iOS 18.5, and we are still waiting for the first iOS 18.6 beta to follow.
Below, we outline everything we know about iOS 18.6 so far.
Timing
Apple's software engineers have been internally testing iOS 18.6 since late March, according to the MacRumors visitors logs.
The first betas of iOS 13.6 through iOS 16.6 were all released before WWDC over the years, while the first iOS 17.6 beta was released the week after WWDC last year, so it is hard to pinpoint exactly when the first iOS 18.6 beta will be available.
| iOS Version |
First Developer Beta |
Public Release |
Inclusions |
iOS 13.6 |
June 1, 2020 |
July 15, 2020 |
- Digital car keys in Wallet app
- Apple News+ audio stories
- Symptoms category in Health app
- Bug fixes and small enhancements |
iOS 14.6 |
April 22, 2021 |
May 24, 2021 |
- Apple Podcasts subscriptions
- Family Sharing for Apple Card
- AirTag and Find My enhancements
- Bug fixes |
iOS 15.6 |
May 18, 2022 |
July 20, 2022 |
- Restart live sports in TV app
- Bug fixes |
iOS 16.6 |
May 19, 2023 |
July 24, 2023 |
- Bug fixes and security patches |
iOS 17.6 |
June 17, 2024 |
July 29, 2024 |
- Bug fixes and security patches |
iOS 18.6 will likely be released by mid-July.
Apple is expected to announce iOS 26 at WWDC 2025 next week, instead of iOS 19, as part of a new software version number scheme. The first beta of iOS 26 should be seeded to developers shortly after Apple's keynote on Monday, June 9, and the update will likely be released to the general public in September.
New Features
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects iOS 18.6 to enable Apple Intelligence in China, with Alibaba and Baidu set to power some of the features in that country.
iOS 18.6 is also likely to include bug fixes and patch security vulnerabilities.
It is unclear if the update will have any other changes. With the iOS 26 beta just around the corner, iOS 18.6 is likely to be a minor update.
Popular Stories
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple introduced an additional perk for you this year, at no additional cost.
The perk is the ability to create invitations in the Apple Invites app for the iPhone, which was released in the App Store in February.
In the Apple Invites app, iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations for any occasion, such as birthday parties, graduations, baby...
WWDC 2025 is just one week away, with Apple's opening keynote scheduled to begin on Monday, June 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. Ahead of the annual developer conference, Apple updated its WWDC page today with a new "Sleek peek" tagline, which replaces the original "On the horizon" tagline that it used over the past few weeks.
The graphic for WWDC 2025 has also been updated. It is now a...
The alleged name of macOS 26 (yes) has leaked.
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that macOS 26 will be named macOS Tahoe, after California's scenic Lake Tahoe.
Apple previously named its Mac operating systems after big cats like Cheetah, Tiger, Leopard, and Lion. Starting with OS X Mavericks in 2013, however, Apple switched to California-themed names like...
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices.
Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of May 2025:
Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X ...
Sony today provided a closer look at the iPhone rigs used to shoot the upcoming post-apocalyptic British horror movie "28 Years Later" (via IGN).
With a budget of $75 million, Danny Boyle's 28 Years Later will become the first major blockbuster movie to be shot on iPhone. 28 Years Later is the sequel to "28 Days Later" (2002) and "28 Weeks Later" (2007), which depict the aftermath of a...
It has been three weeks as of today since Apple released iOS 18.5, and we are still waiting for the first iOS 18.6 beta to follow.
Below, we outline everything we know about iOS 18.6 so far.
Timing
Apple's software engineers have been internally testing iOS 18.6 since late March, according to the MacRumors visitors logs.
The first betas of iOS 13.6 through iOS 16.6 were all released...
With iOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26, and watchOS 26, Apple is planning to debut a new design that's been described as taking inspiration from visionOS, the newest operating system. With WWDC coming up soon, we thought we'd take a closer look at visionOS and some of the design details that Apple might adopt based on current rumors and leaked information.
1. Translucency
Inside Apple, the iOS 26...
