Apple

iOS 17.5, iOS 17.6 & iOS 18: What’s Coming Next for iPhone

Published

3 mins ago

04/04/2024

With lots of new software on the way, we felt it would be prudent to put together an iOS release timeline for iPhone users.

Apple’s been busy in the months since iOS 17’s initial release back in September. The company’s released several prominent updates including iOS 17.4 which dropped in early March.

More recently, Apple released an iOS 17.4.1 update to fix bugs discovered within the operating system.

The company won’t stop there. You can expect a steady stream of point updates (iOS 17 x.x.x) and milestone upgrades (iOS 17 x.x) to roll out over the next six months.

Thanks to leaks, Apple’s beta program, and many years of experience covering software, we have a pretty good read on what you can expect on the iOS 17 front. We’ve also heard a lot about iOS 17’s successor, presumably called iOS 18.

So, if you’ve been curious about what’s in Apple’s pipeline, here’s a quick look at what’s coming next for iPhone users in terms of software updates.

Table of Contents

This guide will take you through known features, release dates, and betas. It will also lead you through the unknown so you can set proper expectations.

iOS 17.5

Apple finally put a new iOS 17.5 update into beta testing.

The software should arrive in May after a stint in beta. iOS 16.5 and iOS 15.5 both arrived in mid-May so Apple might use a similar window for iOS 17.5.

iOS 17.6 & iOS 17.7

If Apple sticks to its usual protocol, iOS 17.6 will arrive in July.

iOS 17 development will start to slow down and the next milestone version of iOS 17, iOS 17.7, will probably roll out alongside iOS 18 in September.

Of course, we’ll see point upgrades arrive in between all of these milestone upgrades and we may see some Rapid Security Response updates as well.

Rapid Security Response updates are much smaller than typical iOS software releases and, according to Apple, they “deliver important security improvements between software updates—for example, improvements to the Safari web browser, the WebKit framework stack, or other critical system libraries.”

We’ve only seen the company push a few of these upgrades to iPhone users, but we may see iOS 17 get a few before iOS 18 arrives.

iOS 18 Update

Apple’s working on the next version of iOS, dubbed iOS 18.

We’ve put together a larger guide that covers iOS 18, but here are a few items of note:

iOS 18 will probably launch, in beta form, at WWDC 2024 in June.
The iOS 18 release date should come in September alongside the iPhone 16 series.
It will support most, or all, iOS 17-powered iPhones.
Apple is reportedly planning big upgrades to AI and Siri.
RCS support should also roll out with iOS 18.

We’ll see rumors outline iOS 17’s successor in great detail in the months ahead. So, in addition to tracking new versions of iOS 17, you’ll also want to keep an eye on the iPhone’s next operating system.

4 Reasons Not to Install iOS 17.4.1 & 12 Reasons You Should

Install iOS 17.4.1 for Better Security

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If security is important to you, think about installing Apple's iOS 17.4.1 update right away.

The iOS 17.4.1 update includes two security patches. These patches will help keep your device and its data protected from harm. And that makes iOS 17.4.1 an important upgrade.

If you missed iOS 17.4 and older software, you'll get the security patches from updates you missed when you upgrade to iOS 17.4.1.

iOS 17.4 had four security patches on board.

The update also delivered quantum security protection for iMessage. The company says the upgrade gives iMessage "the strongest security properties of any at-scale messaging protocol in the world."

The iOS 17.3 update brought 15 new security patches to iPhone. The software also added Stolen Device Protection to iPhone.

It increases the security of your iPhone and Apple ID by requiring Face ID or Touch ID to gain access to passwords, make purchases in Safari, and more. This is useful if someone gets access to your iPhone and its passcode.

iOS 17.2 delivered 10 new security patches to iPhone. If you wish to find out more, you can head on over to Apple's security site for the details.

iOS 17.2 also included iMessage Contact Key Verification which improves the security of iMessage. The company also fixed an exploit that let the Flipper Zero multi-tool lock up iPhones.

iOS 17.1.2 had two security patches on board. Both were related to WebKit. If you want to learn more, you can do so right here.

iOS 17.1 brought 18 security fixes to iPhone. It addressed issues within Weather, Status Bar, WebKit, and more.

iOS 17.0.3 brought two patches for two security issues Apple identified within the software. If you want to read about the patches, head here.

iOS 17.0.1 delivered three important patches to iPhone. If you're interested in the exact nature of these improvements, you can read about them over on Apple's security website.

As for iOS 17 itself, it brought 40+ new security patches with it. A staggering number to say the least. If you want to learn more about them, head over to Apple.

In addition to those patches, iOS 17 brings some additional enhancements to privacy and security including improvements to Communication Safety beyond Messages.

It now includes content sent by AirDrop, Contact Posters in the Phone app, FaceTime, and the systemwide photo picker. You now have an option to blur out sensitive photos and videos before you choose to view them.

There's also an expanded Lockdown Mode which will help protect you against cyber attacks.

Apple's also improved sharing permissions and you now have more control over what you share with the apps on your device.

The company also notes that starting in iOS 17, Voice Memos encrypts the titles of recordings stored in iCloud, in addition to the recordings themselves.

If you skipped older versions of iOS, you'll get the security patches from those updates with your iOS 17.4.1 update as well.