iOS 18 Update: Release Date, Beta & Other Details

If you’re curious about the next version of iOS, we’ll take you through everything you need to know right now about Apple’s upcoming iOS 18 update for iPhone.

iOS 18 rumors have already outlined potential upgrades coming to the iPhone later this year.

Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman says internally, iOS 18 is viewed as one of the biggest, if not the biggest, iOS updates in the company’s history.

Armed with that information, and years of experience covering Apple’s software, we can put together an early look at what to expect from iOS 18 and its release.

If you’ve owned an iPhone for a long time, you may know some of this already. If you haven’t, or you’re simply looking to set proper expectations, here’s what you need to know right now.

Which iPhones Will Get iOS 18?

Perhaps the biggest question on everyone’s mind is this one: Which iPhones will get iOS 18? Here’s what we can tell you.

Apple won’t confirm a full list of iOS 18 eligible iPhone models until WWDC 24 in June, but you can expect most, if not all, iOS 17-powered devices to get the upgrade.

There are, however, a few iPhone models that could potentially be on the chopping block. iPhones typically get software upgrades for five or six years before they get left behind.

For instance, the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus, all of which launched in 2017 with iOS 11 on board, are stuck on iOS 16. They didn’t get upgraded to iOS 17.

That being said, they will continue to get new upgrades with security patches throughout 2024.

If Apple sticks to this protocol in 2024, the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, which launched a year after the iPhone X and iPhone 8, may get stuck on iOS 17. Again, we won’t know for sure until June.

A rumor suggests all iOS 17-powered iPhone models will make the move to iOS 18 in the fall. This source has a proven track record which means iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR owners can breathe a sigh of relief. For now.

Below is a list of iPhones that should get upgraded to iOS 18. Given their age, none of these phones are in danger of missing the upgrade.

iOS 18 Eligible iPhone Models

• iPhone 15
• iPhone 15 Plus
• iPhone 15 Pro
• iPhone 15 Pro Max
• iPhone 14
• iPhone 14 Plus
• iPhone 14 Pro
• iPhone 14 Pro Max
• iPhone 13
• iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone SE (2nd generation or later)

We’ll add the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR to the list if we see other reports corroborate the information.

iOS 18 Beta

Speaking of WWDC, that’s when you can expect Apple to confirm iOS 18 for the first time. WWDC 24 kicks off on June 10th.

Apple typically pushes the first version of an iOS operating system’s beta to developers on the first day of WWDC. In other words, you can expect the first iOS 18 beta to roll out on June 10th.

Unless Apple changes things up, there will be two versions of the iOS 18 beta: A developer beta and a public beta for users registered for the Beta Software Program.

The developer beta usually arrives a few weeks before the public beta. In the past, Apple’s launched public iOS betas in July so that’s what you should expect at this point.

iOS 18 Release Date & Time

The iOS 18 beta will stretch over several months. We can’t predict how many versions of the beta we’ll see, but we should see six or more releases come before Apple pushes the final version of the beta, known as the Golden Master (GM).

Apple usually pushes new iOS operating systems to iPhones in September and that’s what you should expect from the iOS 18 release date right now.

Look for the iOS 18 release date to get confirmed on stage during Apple’s fall event for the upcoming iPhone 16. The iPhone 16 series will run iOS 18 out of the box.

As for a specific date, we expect the iPhone 16 to arrive on Friday, September 20th or Friday, September 27th. If this happens, you can expect iOS 18 to roll out on September 16th/17th or September 23rd/24th.

iOS 18 Features

As for iOS 18’s features, we’ve seen some interesting rumors emerge already. Most of the early information centers around Apple’s plans for AI (Artificial Intelligence).

According to The Information, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, and many other sources, the company is making a big push to make the iPhone’s software smarter.

Gurman claims the iOS software team at Apple is planning to use data to enhance iOS 18’s AI capabilities. He says “new features should improve how both Siri and the Messages app can field questions and auto-complete sentences, mirroring recent changes to competing services.”

On the app side of things, Gurman says Apple’s adding AI to many of its core apps including Music and productivity apps like Pages and Keynote. For example, AI could help generate slides for Keynote.

In follow-up reports, Gurman says Apple’s senior management has described iOS 18 as “ambitious and compelling” because it’s set to deliver “major new features and designs, in addition to security and performance improvements.”

One rumor states the redesign could borrow elements from the Vision Pro’s visionOS operating system. Gurman says that’s possible, but he doesn’t expect a “total overhaul that mirrors visionOS.”

Gurman says Apple is training both Siri and Spotlight with large language models (LLM’s) to help the services answer more complex queries.

The Information’s report details changes being made to Siri, the virtual assistant on board the iPhone. Siri will reportedly feature deeper integration with Shortcuts automation tool.

The site says Apple “plans to incorporate language models to let users of the voice assistant automate complex tasks in ways they currently cannot.”

The example they use is Siri turning five recent photos into a GIF to send to friends in one command.

Another leak, from Tech_Reve on X, purports that Apple’s using LLMs, or large language models, to “revamp Siri into the ultimate virtual assistant.”

The leak also suggests that some of these AI features will be exclusive to the iPhone 16 series which, again, will debut alongside iOS 18 next fall.

Taiwanese publication Economic Daily News says Apple’s upcoming A18 and M4 chips will feature an upgraded Neural Engine with more cores.

This would improve the devices AI learning capabilities. It’s also a reason why some features will be limited to the new iPhone models.

A Financial Times report also suggests Apple is planning to bring generative AI features to iOS and the iPhone.

In an earning’s call covering the company’s Q1 2024 earnings, Apple CEO Tim Cook essentially confirmed the company’s big plans for AI.

Cook says the company continues “to spend a tremendous amount of time and effort” on artificial intelligence and the company’s “excited to share the details of our ongoing work in that space later this year.”

In follow-up comments made to shareholders, Cook stated that Apple believes it will “break new ground” with “transformative” AI features later this year.

Adding fuel to the fire, Apple’s purchased a Canadian AI startup called DarwinAI to boost its aspirations. This was first reported by Bloomberg.

Apple is also planning to bring RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging to its products starting in late 2024. This almost certainly means the release will coincide with iOS 18’s arrival.

This doesn’t mean we’ll see the end of iMessage as we know it, but it does mean communication between Apple products and Android devices will improve.

Google’s highlighted what this means for smartphone users on its website. It also says Apple’s planning to deploy RCS in the fall of 2024.

Group chats will have better performance, we’ll see cross-platform features like read receipts and typing bubbles, and we’ll probably see fewer errors.

Here are other potential iOS 18 features coming to iPhone:

• Gurman also believes iOS 18 will deliver a “hearing aid mode” to AirPods Pro and a more customizable home screen.
• MacRumors sources say iOS 18 will let users place apps anywhere on the home screen grid. The site also says iOS 18 will bring upgrades to Maps.
• Code reviewed by MacRumors hints at plans to bring the Apple Watch’s topographic maps to iPhone with iOS 18. Topographic maps, which are primarily used while in the outdoors, include things like contour lines, elevation, and trails.
• The site also says Apple might finally add custom routes to the Maps app, something popular apps like Google Maps already have.

Another report from AppleInsider suggests we’ll see voice memos added to the Notes app. It also claims the Notes app will gain support for mathematical notation.