Updated Jan. 21 with more analysis of the release date now it’s clear iOS 26.2.1 isn’t happening.
When will the next major iPhone software update be available? It’s a question that’s become increasingly important now that Apple isn’t releasing iOS 18 updates for the latest phones any more. Here’s the latest on when to expect iOS 26.3.
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
VCG via Getty ImagesiOS Update Timeline: What Apple’s Recent Releases Tell Us
The last update, iOS 26.2, went on general release on Friday, Dec. 12. Exactly one month later, iOS 26.3 developer beta 2 was released. The next beta could be as soon as Monday, Jan. 19 — assuming the rumored iOS 26.2.1 release isn’t now taking place. That’s looking unlikely now. If it does appear, then I think iOS 26.3 will be later.
The appearance of iOS 26.2.1 would now be incredibly surprising: Apple likes to release smaller-point updates earlier in the week than later and there was no sign of it on Wednesday, Jan. 21. If it does appear, then that would be remarkable, and blows the release date out of the water.
Or, to put it another way, every day that iOS 26.2.1 doesn’t appear suggests that the fixes and updates contained in it are all being folded into iOS 26.3, and Apple will make that the next release, so users aren’t updating their iPhones on a weekly basis. That’s a situation of last resort. And right now it looks like whatever was in iOS 26.2.1 wasn’t quite urgent enough to demand an early release.
iOS 26.3 New Features: What’s Expected
Alongside the inevitable bug squishes and security updates, the next release looks like it will include a range of new features. For instance, there could be support for end-to-end encryption for Messages sent to or from Android phones. It looks like it will bring a much simpler way to switch from Apple to Android, or the other way round. And EU users can expect pairing of third-party accessories like headphones, on a level of seamlessness comparable to how easy it is to pair AirPods now.
iOS 26.3 Release Date: Why Jan. 26 Looks Likely
There’s good precedent for this. As 9to5Mac reported, in the last three years, the date has been pretty much the same. In 2023 it was Jan. 23, in 2024 iOS 17.3 was released on Jan. 22 and last year iOS 18.3 debuted on Jan. 27. All of those dates are Mondays and all fell on the Monday after Martin Luther King Jr Day.
That pattern means the next release should be on Monday, Jan. 26. If there’s a delay, it could still appear on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
Here’s another reason to think this could be the release timing: Apple just announced a suite of apps, Apple Creator Studio, which will become available on Thursday, Jan. 28. It may be that the iOS 26.3 software will contain optimizations for those programs.
Additionally, Apple knows that it has the most highly anticipated update coming soon: iOS 26.4 when, it’s believed, the company will finally release the all-new, significantly updated Siri to the world. It’ll be huge, so Apple will want to get any previous update out on time so it can work on the big one.
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