iOS 26 has been stealing the spotlight over the last week, but there is still another iOS 18 update on the horizon, according to a leaker.
The first iOS 18.6 beta should be coming very soon, as a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing iOS information today shared a build number (22G5054d) for the beta. We do not link to the account’s posts at the owner’s request.
Update: The first iOS 18.6 developer beta is now available.
Apple’s software engineers have been internally testing iOS 18.6 since March, according to MacRumors analytics. There are now thousands of pageviews from iPhones running the iOS 18.6 beta in our website’s visitor logs, as testing ramps up.
iOS 18.6 will likely be a minor update with bug fixes and security patches, but some smaller new features are also possible. The update was initially expected to enable Apple Intelligence in China, but that has reportedly been delayed due to regulatory hurdles.
The table below provides an overview of iOS 13.6 through iOS 17.6.
| iOS Version | First Developer Beta | Public Release | Inclusions |
|---|---|---|---|
iOS 13.6 | June 1, 2020 | July 15, 2020 | – Digital car keys in Wallet app |
iOS 14.6 | April 22, 2021 | May 24, 2021 | – Apple Podcasts subscriptions |
iOS 15.6 | May 18, 2022 | July 20, 2022 | – Restart live sports in TV app |
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 |
For those curious, we have not yet seen any evidence of an iOS 18.5.1 update being in the works, so Apple might jump right to iOS 18.6.
Following beta testing, iOS 18.6 will likely be released in July.
There will likely be an iOS 18.7 update too with additional security patches in September, before Apple fully moves on to the iOS 26 cycle.
Popular Stories
iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 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 through iPhone 14 Pro have a…
Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with…
Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of…
Apple Explains Why iPads Don’t Just Run macOS
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple’s software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26’s new Mac-like …
17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17
Apple’s iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple’s 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone…
Apple Seeds Revised iOS 26 Developer Beta to Fix Battery Issue
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you’re running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won’t see the revised beta. Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device. The revised beta addresses an…
Apple’s Terminal App Gets Colorful Redesign in macOS Tahoe
Apple’s Terminal app is getting a visual refresh in macOS Tahoe, and it’s the first notable design update since the command-line tool debuted. The updated Terminal will support 24-bit color and Powerline fonts, according to Apple’s State of the Platforms presentation at WWDC25. The app will also adopt the new Liquid Glass aesthetic with redesigned themes that align with macOS 26’s broader…
