Apple released iOS 18.6 on July 29, ahead of the company’s iOS 26 release this fall. While the next major iOS update will bring Liquid Glass and more to your iPhone, iOS 18.6 doesn’t change much on your device. Instead of new features, the iOS 18.6 update is filled with bug and security fixes.
You can download iOS 18.6 by going to Settings, and then tap General. Next, select Software Update, then tap Update Now and follow the prompts on your screen.
Here’s what iOS 18.6 brings to your iPhone.
This update is all about security patches and squashing bugs
After downloading and looking into iOS 18.6 during the beta cycle, I found no new features or noticeable changes in the update. That’s not surprising considering Apple’s iOS release schedule over the years.
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.
Apple did the same thing in July 2023 when it released iOS 16.6. When the tech giant released that update, it was focused on bug fixes and security patches. After that, the next major iOS release was iOS 17.
Apple is likely shifting gears and focusing more on iOS 26. In fact, the company has already released multiple betas of that iOS software in preparation for its fall release.
While there aren’t any new features in iOS 18.6, you should still download the update to your iPhone to take care of any security issues or bugs that update patches.
iOS 18.6 release notes
The release notes for iOS 18.6 are quite brief, reading, “This update provides important bug fixes and security updates, and fixes an issue in Photos that could prevent memory movies from being shared.” If you want more information on the security content of iOS 18.6, you can check out Apple’s page breaking down the security content of this, and other updates.
For more on iOS 18, here’s what you need to know about iOS 18.5 and iOS 18.4, as well as our iOS 18 cheat sheet. You can also check out what you should know about iOS 26.
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