Apple never says exactly when its iPhone updates will land, but in the case of the next one, iOS 18.5, it’s dropped enough clues for us to know that it’s very nearly here. Here’s what we know.
Apple is about to release the next iPhone update: iOS 18.5.
Apple iOS 18.5 will be one of the last big updates before iOS 19 arrives this fall. Last year’s schedule had a .6 appearance at the end of July, followed by iOS 17.6.1 in August and iOS 17.7 in September alongside iOS 18. The most likely scenario is something similar this time around.
iOS 18.5 — What’s In The Release
The release notes for the Release Candidate beta from Tuesday, May 6 list what’s coming.
There’s the Pride Harmony wallpaper which helped confirm the release date below. Parents can now receive a notification when the Screen Time passcode is used on a child’s device, which is new. There’s a new way to pay for something with your iPhone: Buy with iPhone is available when purchasing content within the Apple TV app on a third-party device. If you have an Apple Vision Pro, then the companion app is on your phone and this updated will fix an issue where the app may display a black screen.
Finally, there’s a cool extra coming to iPhone 13 users. Carrier-provided satellite features will be available on all models of iPhone 13 with this update. You can read more about this feature here. What will make this a critical update is the bugs and security fixes which are yet to be announced.
iOS 18.5 Release Date
As discussed here, Apple has already said that one element in the release, Pride Edition wallpaper for the iPhone, will arrive in iOS 18.5 and also that the Pride Edition Apple Watch Sport Band will be on sale in the week commencing Monday, May 12. That pretty much confirms that iOS 18.5 will be arrive at the same time, and further evidence came with the Release Candidate beta which appeared on Tuesday, May 6. Almost invariably, the general release happens the week after.
My money’s on Monday, May 12, though if there’s no sign of it soon after 10 a.m. Pacific, then it’ll be Tuesday, May 13. I’ll cover it as soon as it’s out, so please check back.
