Updated Jan. 19 with more details of the phones affected and further analysis of what users should do, and why iOS 26 offers security and widespread new features.
Apple took a decision in December that surprised many, and it means that there are hundreds of millions of iPhones which need to be updated as soon as possible. Here are full details of that decision, which iPhones are affected and what you need to do if you have one of them.
Which iPhones Are Affected By Apple iOS 26?
Before the new software, iOS 26, there was iOS 18. This was on every iPhone from the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR onwards. However, those three models cannot upgrade to iOS 26. Every other iPhone, from iPhone 11 onwards, is compatible with the latest cycle. These are the phones that are affected by Apple’s latest upgrade decision (full list below for reference).
Apple iOS 26 Update Cycles: How It Works
Apple is often a creature of habit: each September, alongside new iPhones, it launches the latest software cycle. That’s now iOS 26, which replaced iOS 18. To ease users into the new system and placate those who want to wait until new software had bedded in before they jump on board, Apple provides alternative updates for a few months. So, alongside iOS 26 came iOS 18.7, followed by iOS 18.7.1 when the first update to the new software came (iOS 26.0.1).
Here’s the thing: after the next releases in early November, which were iOS 26.1 and iOS 18.7.2, many thought that things would repeat themselves when, on Dec. 12, Apple released iOS 18.7.3 and iOS 26.2. But that’s not quite what happened.
Why Hundreds of Millions Must Upgrade To iOS 26 Now
Instead, iOS 18.7.3 was made available for general release only for those three phones which can’t run iOS 26. It meant that from Dec. 12 onwards — over a month ago now — hundreds of millions of iPhones either had to upgrade to iOS 26, no more delaying, or stay on older software. And since iOS 26.2 had a bunch of security updates, that’s not a great idea.
And, to reconfirm, if you have the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max or iPhone XR, then iOS 18.7.3 is available for your iPhone, and it’s strongly advised that you update to it immediately, if you haven’t done so already.
It’s also highly likely that the release of iOS 26.3, when it comes, will be accompanied by iOS 18.7.4, and this will also only be available for the XS, XS Max and XR. Unless Apple has a radical change of heart, iOS 18.7.4 will not be offered to more recent iPhones. I would say the chance of that happening is zero.
Additionally, there had been talk of an interim software update, iOS 26.2.1, but that seems to have evaporated. This would almost certainly have been a purely security-oriented release, so Apple will fold these concerns into iOS 26.3, again confirming the need to update to the latest version comes with urgency.
What This Means For Your iPhone
If you have held off upgrading to iOS 26, honestly, don’t wait any longer. Though there have been legitimate reasons for this, such as people with low vision finding the Liquid Glass design of iOS 26 tricky, they are now outweighed, I’d suggest, by the importance of having current protections. Plus, you get a raft of new features that are worth having.
In short, if you’re an iOS 26 resistor, don’t be. Upgrade to the latest software now.
Here are some reasons why you should consider upgrading to iOS 26 pronto. Of course, there’s the security aspect, but beyond that, there’s much more. Personally I like Liquid Glass, though I recognize that’s down to personal taste. But Apple is evolving the look so that it balances the eye-catching look with more basic necessities, like clarity. The Liquid Glass in iOS 26.2 is already very different from what launched in September.
There are other striking differences to the new design, such as the way the clock resizes itself on the lock screen, sometimes with dramatic effects. The lock screen now also includes better three-dimensional effects for spatial photos. And swiping up on the lock screen, if you do it slowly, reveals a convincing representation of how glass refracts light. The look continue across many parts of the interface, including the Control Center, for instance, and the interfaces are widely more customizable.
In terms of features, there are many innovations, including helpful ones like call screening, powered by AI, which requires callers from unrecognized numbers to state the reason for their call. Similarly, if you’re on hold, the OS can take over and look after your place in the line, smart enough to tell the human, when they return, that you’re coming back now, and notify you to come back to the call.
Beyond that, there are updates to apps like Camera and Photos to make things more simple and, with iOS 26.3, coming soon, there will be a much simpler way to change from iOS to Android, and vice versa.
For more recent iPhones, there’s Live Translation which offers Messages which translate as they arrive and when you have AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods 4, similar software speaks your foreign interlocutor’s words in your own tongue, displaying your response in their language on the iPhone screen. Oh, and big changes are coming with a massively overhauled Siri, coming in iOS 26.4, predicted for March or April. Again, this wont’ be for all iPhones which can run iOS 26.
iOS 26: Full List Of Compatible iPhones
Here’s the complete list. Apple iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone SE (2nd generation), iPhone SE (3rd generation) and iPhone 16e.
If you have an iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max or iPhone Air you don’t need to worry: your phone was automatically on iOS 26 from day one.
