The first public beta of iOS 18.6 was made available on June 18 and will be released by Apple prior to the release of iOS 26 this autumn. Although iOS 26 will significantly alter iPhones, developers and beta testers shouldn’t anticipate new features since the most recent beta is packed with bug and security patches.

See also: iOS 26 Finally Allows Us to Eliminate the Horrible 9-Minute Snooze

The public beta 1 download link for iOS 18.6.

I advise downloading this on a different device than your main one since it’s a beta. The upgrade may be glitchy and battery life may be impacted since this isn’t the final version of iOS 18.6, so it’s better to avoid such issues on your main device.

Keep in mind that the beta is not the final version of iOS 18.6, so when it is published, your iPhone may have more features. When Apple will make iOS 18.6 available to the public is unknown. But before iOS 26 is made available this autumn, it will probably be the company’s last major iOS upgrade.

When iOS 18.6 arrives on your iPhone, here are some things to anticipate.

Fixing issues and applying security fixes are the main goals of this beta.
Other than bug and security patches, developers and beta testers shouldn’t anticipate much from this beta. I downloaded and examined iOS 18.6 beta 1, but I didn’t see any modifications or new features. And given Apple’s iOS release pace throughout the years, it isn’t shocking.

Apple unveiled iOS 18, and over a month later in July, the company published iOS 17.6. There were no new features in the update, but it did provide over 30 significant security updates and bug fixes. It was the last significant iOS 17 update before to the introduction of iOS 18, and at the time, Apple advised everyone to download it.

When it launched iOS 16.6 in July 2023, Apple followed suit. The tech giant prioritized security updates and bug fixes when Apple launched that version; iOS 17 was the next significant iOS release.

It’s conceivable that Apple is changing course and concentrating more on iOS 26. Actually, in advance of the iOS software’s autumn release, the corporation has already made two developer betas available.

Apple has plenty of time to add features or modify existing ones before iOS 18.6 is made available to the general public, but I wouldn’t depend on new features. Although Apple has not disclosed the release date for iOS 18.6, I anticipate that the company will do so next month, given that iOS 17.6 and iOS 16.6 were both launched in July 2024 and 2023, respectively.