iOS 26 release date: Here’s when the new iPhone update will launch

Apple’s next big iPhone update, iOS 26, will bring a Liquid Glass redesign and tons of new features. Beta testers can try out iOS 26 now, but its release date for the public is still a ways off—here’s when to expect its launch.

iOS 26 will launch this fall, likely in mid-September

So far, Apple has only confirmed that iOS 26 will arrive for all users this fall.

But looking at the history of software releases, we can get much more precise with our expectations.

Here are release dates for the last three major iOS versions:

• iOS 18: Monday, September 16, 2024
• iOS 17: Monday, September 18, 2023
• iOS 16: Monday, September 12, 2022

Each of these launches happened within a week of Apple’s big iPhone event.

In 2024, the event happened September 9, in 2023 it was September 12, and in 2022 September 7.

This pattern has been followed closely by Apple for years, and we shouldn’t expect anything different for 2025.

As a result, iOS 26 is expected to launch to all users in mid-September, shortly after Apple unveils its iPhone 17 lineup earlier in the month.

Mid-September, then, will be when all users with a supported iPhone can install iOS 26 and get the new Liquid Glass redesign, big updates to Messages, Apple Music, Wallet, CarPlay, and much more.

But there will also be an opportunity to gain access sooner via a public beta.

Public beta for iOS 26 releases this July

If you don’t want to wait until September to try out iOS 26, you won’t have to.

As it does each year, Apple will offer a public beta version of iOS 26.

iOS 26’s public beta will launch this July.

This beta release will be available to anyone who wants it via enrollment at beta.apple.com.

Like all beta software, iOS 26’s public beta is expected to include bugs and performance issues that may or may not impact your device experience.

Apple uses the public beta process to get more data and feedback so it can eliminate as many issues in iOS 26 as possible before the full launch in the fall.

If you’re willing to accept the risk of your iPhone not performing as reliably, the public beta is a great way to gain early access to iOS 26’s new features.

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