Apple’s iOS 18 Release Date: What We Know So Far

Apple announced iOS 18 at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, and since then, the tech giant has released several beta versions of the software. These versions bring new features to developers and beta testers’ iPhones, such as RCS messaging, customizable home and lock screens, and more. You can expect many of these features to come to your iPhone soon.

Apple says it will release the update to the general public this fall, but based on previous Apple events in September and previous versions of iOS, a pattern is emerging: We can expect Apple to release iOS 18 a few days after its September event this year.

When is the Apple Event in September?

Apple has announced that its September event will take place on September 9th, which means we won’t have to wait any longer for iOS 18 to be released.

Why is Apple Releasing iOS 18 Right After the Event?

Apple doesn’t typically announce iOS version releases, but it does follow a roadmap each year. For more than a decade, Apple has held events in June and September every year. The company may hold other special events in March or October, but the June and September events happen like clockwork every year.

After most of Apple’s September events, the company releases the next iOS within a week. For example, in 2023, Apple’s event was held on September 12, and iOS 17 was released six days later, on September 18.

In the past decade, there have only been two years in which Apple took more than a week to release the next version of iOS: 2019 and 2014. Even then, Apple released the next version of iOS eight to nine days after its September launch event.

On What Day of the Week Were Previous Versions of iOS Released?

For the past 10 years, Apple has released all iOS updates during the week. Apple released iOS versions on Thursdays and released notifications between Monday and Wednesday. And during that same period, Apple did not release iOS versions on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays.

Monday and Wednesday are popular days for Apple to release iOS versions, with four iOS versions released on Monday and three on Wednesday. Apple also released two iOS versions on Tuesday. Apple is most likely to release iOS 18 on Monday or Wednesday.

So When Will iOS 18 Be Released?

I expect Apple to release iOS 18 on Monday, September 16th. I know Apple is holding their September event on September 9th, and based on past releases, I would expect Apple to release iOS 18 5-7 days after that event. That would put the release date on September 14th, 15th, or 16th.

September 14th and 15th are Saturday and Sunday respectively, and Apple has never released iOS updates on weekends. So there is no such date. That leaves Monday, September 16th. Since Apple has released the last three versions of iOS on Mondays, I would expect that to happen again this year.

For more from Apple, check out our iOS 18 recap and what to expect from Apple’s September event.