What’s happened? Apple has rolled out what might be its final major update for its current software platforms ahead of its total overhaul across all devices this fall.
- The iOS 18.6 update has rolled out to iPhone users, with other Apple devices also seeing an update in the form of iPadOS 18.6, macOS Sequoia 15.6, watchOS 11.6, tvOS 18.6, and visionOS 2.6.
- The updates are free – but don’t expect to see the new Liquid Glass interface. That’s reserved for the ’26’ updates in a couple of months.
This is important because: the latest software versions come with key security updates and bug fixes which will keep your devices working properly, and safely.
- One bug fix which is included in the updates is resolving an issue with sharing memory movies in the Photos app.
- The update mainly focuses on security issues, with a long list of improvements published by Apple.
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Why should I care? While none of the security loop holes Apple has patched in its latest software updates are known to have been exploited, it’s important to keep your devices up to date.
- Updates tend to take several minutes to prepare, download and install – and a device restart will also be triggered as part of the update process.
- Failing to update to the latest software version could leave your devices vulnerable to cyberattacks.
Okay, what’s next? If you own an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV or Vision Pro, we’d recommend checking for the latest update to ensure your devices are fully up to date with the latest features and security settings.
- Beyond these updates, all eyes are on September for the introduction of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26 Tahoe, watchOS 26, tvOS 26 and visionOS 26 – marking Apple’s biggest overhaul in its software offering in more than a decade.
- Apple has said these updates will arrive this fall, and going by previous software generations we expect them to arrive in September, around the time of the iPhone 17 launch.
- If you can’t wait until then, public betas are available for all platforms bar visionOS – allowing you to get early access to the new look and features. Before you download, these aren’t final versions of the software. There will be bugs and some features may not work at all.
