iOS 18.6 ― Bug Fixes, Changes, and Improvements

[-BigMac-]

Is there people happy with this new release?

Its pretty meh for me.

Same old.. how exciting can a flat UI be after all..

I like the ios26 redesign, but i am getting the feeling that a lot of people dont like it here.

Heres to hoping Microsoft copies Apple and incorporates a bit of Vista-esque blur into their Windows OS

 

[fergus2019]

I disabled beta updates and the new firmware shows only 180 MB to download - is this normal?

 

[James6s]

I disabled beta updates and the new firmware shows only 180 MB to download - is this normal?

I noticed there were some large variations in install sizes for different devices with this new build. My 16 Pro was 7.65 GB coming from the last RC version.

 

[fergus2019]

I noticed there were some large variations in install sizes for different devices with this new build. My 16 Pro was 7.65 GB coming from the last RC version.

This is understandable, but the difference is confusing, that after the beta the update is only 180 MB, and not 7+ GB

 

[James6s]

Silky smooth on my iP13 !

Silky smooth indeed! Placebo maybe, but app opening animations, swiping and scrolling etc are all buttery smooth on my 16 Pro. My other half is also seeing improvements on their 14 Plus.

This is what this release is all about, overall performance and stability and it’s a winner!

 

[James6s]

This is understandable, but the difference is confusing, that after the beta the update is only 180 MB, and not 7+ GB

Yes confusing. Maybe someone else can say why this is the case? Maybe it depends on device and features and if they use Apple intelligence. Not sure

 

[James6s]

A number of security fixes also with the release of 18.6

iOS 18.6 Includes Over 20 Security Fixes

The iOS 18.6, iPadOS 18.6, and macOS Sequoia 15.6 updates that Apple released today address dozens of vulnerabilities, according to Apple's...

www.macrumors.com

 

[philstubbington]

Well this new build feels snappier on my 16 Pro… I guess placebo is in full effect 😄🤣

I’m hoping for go faster stripes …. Mac ✔️, watch ✔️, TV ✔️, HomePods, iPads in progress, then my wife’s iPad and watch. I think that’s everything 🤔 😂

 

[2Xtreme21]

Can’t reproduce this in either dark or light mode.

Try a force restart perhaps?

Yep that fixed it. Thanks!

 

[aespana]

Those in iOS 17 or 16, don’t update.

Those like me that sadly are in iOS 18, update.

My 13 Mini feels the same. Last update for now (or maybe a 18.7?). Will wait a lot of updates before updating to iOS 26

 

[SpAwN_BG]

Those in iOS 17 or 16, don’t update.

Those like me that sadly are in iOS 18, update.

My 13 Mini feels the same. Last update for now (or maybe a 18.7?). Will wait a lot of updates before updating to iOS 26

Better or worse than 18.5?

 

[ras113]

Those in iOS 17 or 16, don’t update.

Those like me that sadly are in iOS 18, update.

My 13 Mini feels the same. Last update for now (or maybe a 18.7?). Will wait a lot of updates before updating to iOS 26

Why not? I sm still in 17 with iphone 13 pro

 

[macdaddy43]

It makes sense, but 18.6 is the smoothest, best performing install in a while. It makes me really question if I want to dive into iOS 26 in a couple months. I am enjoying the excellent performance and stability…

 

[Miles Fu]

It makes sense, but 18.6 is the smoothest, best performing install in a while. It makes me really question if I want to dive into iOS 26 in a couple months. I am enjoying the excellent performance and stability…

same here, I may keep 18.6 as this version works so well

 

[Dust-by-Monday]

Those in iOS 17 or 16, don’t update.

Those like me that sadly are in iOS 18, update.

My 13 Mini feels the same. Last update for now (or maybe a 18.7?). Will wait a lot of updates before updating to iOS 26

This iOS 18.6 feels exactly like 17 to me on my iPhone 15 Pro. I waited a long time before diving into 18 so it’s not a matter of that I got used to it

 

[weather34]

iphone 15 pro max 18.6 everything works smooth update with no teething outcome's AWU2 update smooth has well . bravo apple. has for ios26 can only hope the official release has the same outcome

 

[Populus]

iphone 15 pro max 18.6 everything works smooth update with no teething outcome's AWU2 update smooth has well . bravo apple. has for ios26 can only hope the official release has the same outcome

Well, if it goes like with iOS 18, it will be smooth by July ‘26. One can argue that maybe with iOS 26 the development will go faster, but with the whole new Liquid Crystal interface, and all the delayed Siri stuff that’s probably coming during 2026, I’m not very optimistic.

 

[winxmac]

After 7 1/2 months of running iOS 17.7 on iPhone 11 Pro Max, I'm now ready to upgrade to iOS 18.6 despite knowing the things I'll be missing and the changes that come with it.

Goodbye classic widgets and goodbye to the last Photos app that is not designed for Apple intelligence.

 

[UliBaer]

After 7 1/2 months of running iOS 17.7 on iPhone 11 Pro Max, I'm now ready to upgrade to iOS 18.6 despite knowing the things I'll be missing and the changes that come with it.

Goodbye classic widgets and goodbye to the last Photos app that is not designed for Apple intelligence.

Good luck and please report back, if it was worth it! 👍

 

[Populus]

After 7 1/2 months of running iOS 17.7 on iPhone 11 Pro Max, I'm now ready to upgrade to iOS 18.6 despite knowing the things I'll be missing and the changes that come with it.

Goodbye classic widgets and goodbye to the last Photos app that is not designed for Apple intelligence.

Yeah, the photos app is a pain in early iOS 18 versions, and I’m not sure to that extent this was corrected in later iOS 18 versions. Design wise I’m afraid it hasn’t changed much. Let’s hope that at least the performance is good.

What I didn’t know, was that iOS 18 deprecated the classic widgets.

 

[winxmac]

I upgraded without a backup and everything looks good so far. It may take several days before everything calms down.

Before, swiping from the left most page which is dedicated to widgets, it shows up and is overlaid or covers the page 1 of icons but that no longer happens on iOS 18.x and I completely forgot about that. I'll just have to get used to the changes in iOS 18.x and I don't think upgrading to iOS 26.x will be worth it for my iPhone 11 Pro Max. I may just purchase a newer iPhone model instead.

 

[brightonguy]

I just did a fresh install from iOS 17.7 to iOS 18.6 on iPhone 14 Pro. Things seem brilliant so far.

 

[imagineadam]

I just did a fresh install from iOS 17.7 to iOS 18.6 on iPhone 14 Pro. Things seem brilliant so far.

Cool. Let us know your average SOT and battery life. I’m still on 16.7.2. Do you remember how fast it was on ios 16? It’s lightning fast and the ram management is great. I’m still debating and waiting for more 14 pro 18.6 success stories. All I really care about it’s the messages over satellite feature, dark mode icons and maybe the RCS features. Everything else is bloat to me.

 

[brightonguy]

Well, my battery health is at 79%, and I have an appointment at the Apple Store on Friday to have the battery replaced because of this. So from a battery life perspective, I am not the best one to judge. But, since I did a fresh install with no overload of apps, it seems great so far. Dark Mode Icons and the RCS features - I pretty much never use, as I am in Europe and we are a WhatsApp continent mostly 🙂

Cool. Let us know your average SOT and battery life. I’m still on 16.7.2. Do you remember how fast it was on ios 16? It’s lightning fast and the ram management is great. I’m still debating and waiting for more 14 pro 18.6 success stories. All I really care about it’s the messages over satellite feature, dark mode icons and maybe the RCS features. Everything else is bloat to me.

 

[Dylan33x]

IPSW for iOS 18.6 now available.

iTunes 12.13.7.1 is still the latest version.

Still running iOS 17.7 on iPhone 11 Pro Max but on the fence of whether to upgrade to iOS 18.6 or not.

Some apps already require at least iOS 17.6 but even if you no longer receive app updates if you are still running iOS 16.x or older, the apps ideally should still work unless you get a message that you need to upgrade to the latest iOS version for the app to work.

Funny enough I’m on 17 and went to use the Apple support app yesterday. There’s a mandatory update that you have to be on 18 to download. So you can’t use the support app unless you’re on the latest version.

And the Apple Store app requires 17 and up, which is insane to me lol