Apple Seeds First Beta of iOS 18.6 to Developers - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Seeds First Beta of iOS 18.6 to Developers

Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming over a month after Apple released iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5.

iOS 18
iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update.

With the iOS 18.6 update, Apple may bring Apple Intelligence to China for the first time. Apple is expected to partner with Alibaba and Baidu for AI features in the country, but it is not clear if this has been delayed because Apple is facing regulatory hurdles in China.

We don't know of any other new features expected for iOS 18.6, and Apple is winding down work on iOS 18 as it shifts focus to iOS 26. ‌iOS 26‌ is in beta testing right now and it is set to be released in September.

Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18

Popular Stories

iphone duo

Apple Announces Foldable 'iPhone Duo'

Wednesday September 9, 2026 10:56 am PDT by
Apple today announced the "iPhone Duo," a new kind of iPhone featuring two screens and a foldable inner display. The two halves of the iPhone Duo connect into a single continuous frame with the same aspect ratio across both displays, and Apple said the transition between open and closed is designed to feel fluid. When fully open, Apple says it is the thinnest iPhone ever made, with an...
Surprise and Shine Live Coverage Article

Apple Event Live Blog: iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, and More

Wednesday September 9, 2026 9:10 am PDT by
Apple's "Surprise and Shine" event kicks off today at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, where we're expecting to see the foldable iPhone Duo, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 models, new AirPods 5 earphones, and perhaps some other announcements. Apple is providing a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company's TV app across various platforms. We...
iOS 27 Feature Dark

Apple Announces iOS 27 Release Date

Wednesday September 9, 2026 10:46 am PDT by
At its event today unveiling the iPhone 18 Pro, AirPods 5, Apple Watch Series 12, and more, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released later this month. iOS 27 has already been available as a developer beta since June and as a public beta since July, and Apple today said that the update will be released for all users with a compatible iPhone model on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 is...

Top Rated Comments

16 months ago
it is build 22G5054d - same as what was predicted in https://www.macrumors.com/2025/06/16/ios-18-6-beta-coming-soon/ so well done macrumors!

but wait. there's more

iPadOS 18.6 beta 1 (22G5054d)
macOS 15.6 beta 1 (24G5054d)
tvOS 18.6 beta 1 (22M5054b)
audioOS 18.6 beta 1 (22M5054b)
visionOS 2.6 beta 1 (22O5754c)
watchOS 11.6 beta 1 (22U5054b)

too
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GaryMumford Avatar
16 months ago

Most of the Beta testers have already moved on to iOS 26. No wonder why Apple has difficulties to get rid off bugs.
Beta testers, specifically 'Developer' beta testers should be testing on more than one version of the OS. If your app works perfectly on 26, but crashes on 16, 17 or 18, then you will have a lot of unhappy users
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Populus Avatar
16 months ago
Finally!

Eager for those big-fixes and efficiency improvements.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
applefan8254 Avatar
16 months ago
-
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arthurgd3 Avatar
16 months ago
Waiting for the next iOS 26 DB.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kaishockz Avatar
16 months ago
Hope there is something about new airtags in the Code. Otherwise we have to wait till fall.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)