On Thursday, Aug. 14, Apple released an unexpected software update for the iPhone to permit a missing Apple Watch feature, blood oxygen tracking, to return. Now, it seems like there’s another surprise on the way: another iPhone update. Here’s what we know.
Apple is releasing a surprise new iPhone update, it seems.
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The last update, which was a surprise in itself, was iOS 18.6.1. Its unexpected nature came from the fact that this late in the cycle, updates are rare and because it had one purpose, to resurrect the blood oxygen tracking feature which U.S.-sold Apple Watches have lacked for 18 months. You can read a full analysis of what happened here and how to use the new blood oxygen feature here.
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Now, a leaker with a private account but a solid track record when it comes to iOS versions, has said that the next update, possibly called iOS 18.6.2, is on its way.
The leak was picked up by Joe Rossignol at MacRumors. “Specifically, the leaker said they have seen evidence of iOS 18.6.2 with a build number of 22G100. However, in a private message, they said it is possible that the update will simply end up being a revised version of iOS 18.6.1,” Rossignol reported.
This could mean that the release last week hasn’t quite worked as it should for some Apple Watch users, or that extra data is coming.
I have heard that some users have found the blood oxygen app has been behaving differently in the days since it’s been installed, so it could be related to that.
As to when we can expect to see this update, it could be as soon as today (Monday, Aug. 18) or later this week.
For reference, the build number of the current version of iOS 18.6.1 is 22G90 and, as mentioned above, the rumored next version will have a build number of 22G100.
One possibility is that it will only show up for some iPhones, rather than all.
I’ll update this post as soon as it is released, so please check back.
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