The internal testing for iOS 18.6 has already begun. Now, this comes as a surprise since iOS 18.5 has still not reached public beta testing. But how different this new update is going to be and what about iOS 18.6 release date, features and more? We will understand with this blog. Let’s get started.
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A Look At Apple’s Recent iOS Update
Recently we have seen that Apple released the final iOS 18.4 version with several new enhancements. The highlights of this update were:
- Priority notifications
- Visual intelligence for select iPhones
- New Apple Intelligence languages
- Control Centre Apple Intelligence section
- New emoji
Read more about iOS 18.4 update.
iOS 18.6 Release Date: A Look At The Timeline
Apple follows a set pattern for releasing the “point-six” updates. And based on that, we can say that the expected iOS 18.6 release date could be around July 2025. Here, have a look at the timeline:
| Version | First Developer Beta Release | Public Release |
| iOS 13.6 | June 1, 2020 | July 15, 2020 |
| iOS 14.6 | April 22, 2021 | May 24, 2021 |
| iOS 15.6 | May 18, 2022 | July 20, 2022 |
| iOS 16.6 | May 19, 2023 | July 24, 2023 |
| iOS 17.6 | June 17, 2024 | July 29, 2024 |
| iOS 18.5 | May-June 2025 (expected) | July 2025 (expected) |
What New iOS 18.6 Features To Expect?
If you look closely, Apple tends to release major groundbreaking features with its bigger updates like iOS 17/18, etc. And same can be expected this time as well. This means, we will have to wait for the iOS 19 launch for any significant feature upgrade.
Coming back to iOS 18.6 features, we can still have expect certain improvements from its previous versions. This might include:
- Security improvements
- Performance improvements for older devices
- Certain refinements to features introduced in 18.4 and 18.5
- Minimal UI enhancements
Here have a look at the previous “point-six” features update for a better understanding:
| Version | Features Released |
| iOS 13.6 | Digital car keys, Apple News+ audio stories, Bug fixes and improvements, Symptoms in Health app |
| iOS 14.6 | Subscriptions for Apple Podcasts subscriptions, Family Sharing for Apple Card, Find My enhancements, AirTag, Bug fixes |
| iOS 15.6 | Restart live sports in TV app, Bug fixes |
| iOS 16.6 | Bug fixes, Security patches |
| iOS 17.6 | Bug fixes, Security patches |
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iOS 18.6 Supported Devices
Devices that were eligible for the iOS 18.4 update will also be eligible for iOS 18.6 update. Here, have a look:
- iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max
- iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max
- iPhone XS, XS Max, XR
- iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation)
Older iPhones like iPhone X, iPhone 8, etc. won’t be getting this update.
When To Expect Major iOS Update?
As mentioned above, Apple is most likely to introduce major changes, features and improvements with iOS 19, which we will be able to witness in WWDC 2025. The WWDC 2025 event will run from June 9 to June 13, 2025. The Key highlights of this event would be:
- Introduction to iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16, tvOS 19, watchOS 12, and visionOS 3
Final Thoughts
We will have to wait a little more to experience the iOS 18.6 features and release date. While, there is not much to expect from this update, chances are you will still get certain cool improvements over the previous versions. Don’t forget to check this post later as we will keep on updating with new information as and when we receive it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When will iOS 18.6 be released?
The expected public release date for iOS 18.6 is around July 2025. The internal testing has started already and soon we can expect a beta release of this update.
Will there be new features in iOS 18.6?
There is no confirm news as to what new features we will have in iOS 18.6. However, certain leaks and rumors hints towards security and bug fixes majorly.
Which phones will get iOS 18.6?
iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation), iPhone XS, XS Max, XR, iPhone 11 and all the newer models will be getting iOS 18.6 update.
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