When Apple might release iOS 18 for your iPhone

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

Read more: Everything you need to know about iOS 18 betas

Apple has announced that it will release the update to the general public in the fall. While that's a good timeframe, it's not the most helpful. If we look at previous Apple events in September and previous iOS releases, we can see a pattern. We can expect Apple to release iOS 18 a few days after this year's September event.

Apple is traditionally very tight-lipped about new products and releases, but I think here's when Apple will release iOS 18, based on hidden knowledge shown to me in a dream – and mostly my own empirical analysis.

When is Apple's September event?

Apple has announced that its September event will take place next week on September 9th. This means that we don't have to wait long for the release of iOS 18.

Why will Apple release iOS 18 shortly after the event?

Apple does not typically announce the release of new iOS versions, but sticks closely to a script from year to year.

For more than a decade, Apple has held regular events every June and September. While the company hosts other special events in March (see 2022) or October (see 2021), the June and September events take place on time every year.

According to most of Apple's September events, the company releases the next iOS within a week. For example, in 2023, Apple's event took place on September 12, and six days later, on September 18, iOS 17 was released.

In the last decade, only two years have seen Apple take more than a week to release the next version of iOS – 2019 and 2014. And even in those cases, Apple released the next version of iOS eight and nine days after the September event, respectively.

The number of days between Apple's September event and the release of the next iOS version has also been declining over the past decade. In 2014, Apple released iOS 8 on September 17, eight days after its September 9 event, and in 2022, Apple released iOS 16 on September 12, five days after the company's September 7 event.

In the last decade, eight iOS versions were released within a week of the September event, and only one was released less than five days after the event. I estimate Apple will release iOS 18 between five and seven days after its September event this year.

On which days of the week were previous versions of iOS released?

For the past decade, Apple has released all iOS version updates during the week. Apple has released an iOS version on a Thursday and the reminders between Monday and Wednesday. And during the same period, Apple has not released an iOS version on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.

Monday and Wednesday are popular days for Apple to release iOS versions. Four iOS versions are released on Mondays and three on Wednesdays. Apple also released two iOS versions on Tuesday. It is more likely that Apple will release iOS 18 on a Monday or Wednesday.

Interestingly, Apple has released the last three iOS versions on the Monday after the September events, so this could be the new norm and Apple will release all future iOS versions on the Monday after the September event.

OK, so what day will iOS 18 be released?

I expect Apple to release iOS 18 on Monday, September 16. We know Apple is holding its September event on September 9, and based on previous releases, I expect Apple to release iOS 18 between five and seven days after that event. That would put the release on September 14, 15, or 16.

September 14th and 15th fall on a Saturday and Sunday respectively, and Apple has never released an iOS update on the weekend – so those dates are off the table. That leaves Monday, September 16th. Since Apple has released the last three iOS versions on Mondays, I think that will be the case again this year.

I was right about iOS 17 being released in 2023, so I'm crossing my fingers that I'm right again. If so, I might buy a lottery ticket.

For more on Apple, check out our iOS 18 cheat sheet and what to expect from Apple's September event.

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