iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, macOS Sequoia stable release date revealed

Highlights
  • iOS 18, macOS Sequoia, iPadOS 18, and watchOS 11 will release on September 16th.
  • Apple has now released the RC (release candidate) versions of its major OS updates.
  • Check out the compatible devices list of iOS 18, macOS Sequoia, iPadOS 18, and watchOS 11.

Alongside announcing new hardware products like the iPhone 16 series, new Apple Watch, and AirPods, Apple has also revealed the rollout dates of the iOS 18, macOS Sequoia, iPadOS 18, and watchOS 11. iOS 18 brings new improvements and features like home screen customisation, redesigned control centre, and much more. The company also announced Apple Intelligence AI features will begin beta testing in October. macOS Sequoia brings iPhone mirroring, window tilting and more.

Apple software updates rollout schedule

iOS 18

iOS 18 stable will roll out to compatible iPhones on September 16th worldwide. The new software version for iPhones allows you to drag and place app icons anywhere on the home screen, this also brings a redesigned control centre, with space for media and home controls, you can lock apps for privacy, and redesigned photos app and more.

Compatible list: iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11 series, iPhone 12 series, iPhone 13 series, iPhone 14 series, iPhone 15 series, iPhone 16 lineup, and iPhone SE 2nd and 3rd generation.

Apple RC: Apple has released the RC (release candidate) versions of its major OS updates ahead of the stable iOS 18 release next week. They are available for both developers and those running public beta programs. RC beta offers a preview of the final iOS 18 build and more. If all goes well, this will be the final build of the software version. The iOS 18 RC has the build 22A3354.

iOS 18.1

Apple will begin iOS 18.1 beta testing starting in October. This will bring Apple Intelligence, where the first features will be exclusive to US English language users. This will be expanded to more languages over time. In December, the company will add support for English dialects in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. 

Once available, Apple Intelligence will be available to iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16, and iPhone 16 Pro, Mac or iPad users with M1 or later for free of cost. The company hasn’t mentioned what features of Apple Intelligence will launch when but reports indicate notification summaries, email summaries, the Reduce Interruptions focus, and Clean Up image editing in Photos will be rolled out first.

macOS 15 Sequoia

macOS Sequoia

Apple macOS Sequoia will officially roll out on September 16th. This was originally announced back in June at WWDC 2024. The new OS brings features like window tilting, iPhone mirroring, a new “Highlights” feature in Safari to discover information on the web, and much more. 

macOS Sequoia will also not get Apple Intelligence features at launch. They should be made available with subsequent macOS releases, possibly 15.1 or later in October. The iPhone Mirroring allows you to access your iPhone from your Mac. The Mac’s keyboard and trackpad will act as inputs from your iPhone. You can also receive iPhone notifications once iPhone Mirroring is enabled. 

There is a new Reader view to read articles without distractions. Game Porting Toolkit 2 gives developers more capabilities to port games to Mac, iPhone and iPad. The calendar app now integrates with Reminders, there is a new Collections feature in the Photos app, the ability to type to Siri, ChatGPT support, Genmoji, and more.

iPadOS 18

iPadOS 18

Apple mentioned the iPadOS 18 will be rolled out to the compatible devices list next week; September 16th. The new OS brings Home Screen and app icon customisation similar to iOS 18. The much-awaited Calculator app with Math Notes is finally coming to iPads. iPadOS 18 also brings a redesigned Photos app, a new tab bar design for apps, and much more. Again, the Apple Intelligence features will be available with iPadOS 18.1 in late October.

Compatible devices: iPad Pro M4, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd gen and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (gen 1 and above), iPad Air M2, iPad Air 3rd gen and above, iPad 7th gen and above, and iPad mini 5th generation and later.

WatchOS 11

watchOS 11

WatchOS 11 will be rolled out to Apple Watch on September 16th. This brings new interactive widgets to the Smart Stack and it also shows Live Activities from the iPhone for the first time. The update brings the new Vitals app, which offers better context based on the data collected by the Watch.

Apple Fitness+ adds a new For You space and improved rewards. It brings new watch faces and Apple Translate to the Apple Watch.

Compatible devices: Apple Watch SE 2nd gen, Apple Watch Series 6 and above, Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2.

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