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What to Expect From iOS 18.6 as One of the Final Updates Before iOS 26

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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.

iOS 18
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.

Update — June 4: Apple Intelligence in China has been delayed by a Chinese regulatory agency, according to the Financial Times, so it is unclear exactly when the features will become available in the 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.

Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18

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Top Rated Comments

MacUserFella Avatar
MacUserFella
14 months ago
iOS 18.6 should hopefully fix all the bugs before iOS 26 makes everything buggy again
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
L
Lounge vibes 05
14 months ago

For better or worse, iOS 18.6 will be peak iOS 18
Actually, no, that would be iOS 18.7.
X.7 releases usually drop in September to coincide with the new version, and is usually what the default upgrade path is for the first two months or so of the new version being available.
Meaning when iOS 26 drops, most regular consumers will actually have their phones auto update to 18.7 first.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
A
AdamHarbour
14 months ago
Can we go back to “ it just works “l iOS 18 is a big fat failure due to be replace by a glossy transparent failure iOS 26! Apple need a shake at the top… fairwell Tim
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rafagon Avatar
Rafagon
14 months ago
Whoa, no pride wallpaper? No new Emoji? Certainly a boring update it seems, not even worth the wear and tear on the iPhone's SSD.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
I7guy
14 months ago

Sounds like the perfect time to change brands and find both faith and happiness.
IOS 18 works well for me. I understand people have been grousing about the Mac, but I'm a windows user and of course while that works fairly well, it's not without it's own set of issues.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
klasma
14 months ago
At least there won't be any confusion between iOS 26 and iOS 20.6.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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