Apple’s latest iPhone software release is iOS 26.1. Unless you haven’t updated to iOS 26 at all yet, in which case there’s another option: iOS 18.7.2. Which one should you choose and is this the last time you’ll be able to stay safe without iOS 26?
Apple iOS 26 was released in September and works with all iPhones from iPhone 11 onwards. But Apple routinely also releases updates for almost exactly the same cohort of phones, so that those wary of a whole new cycle too early can still keep their iPhones protected. The latest iOS 18 release is compatible with the same models as iOS 26 plus three more handsets: iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR.
This means the decision about which to choose is made for you if you have one of those three phones.
For all others, the choice is yours. The security features are the similar in each — there are more fixes in iOS 26.1 because some pertain to the latest software or to the iPhone 17 series and iPhone Air, which all have iOS 26 installed from day one.
But for any new features you need to look to iOS 26.1. The same will apply for iOS 26.2, which will be released in mid-December (read this for exactly when it’s expected).
For some, the main reason to avoid iOS 26 isn’t any longer worries about the stability of the new iPhone software. It’s been live for over two months now, so many initial issues have been ironed out.
But people are still holding back because they don’t like the Liquid Glass redesign that came with iOS 26. Eventually, these users are going to have to either give in or accept that all the other extra features that came with iOS 26 will remain out of their reach. And since there are plenty more features expected in the current cycle, their determination to stay on iOS 18 may weaken.
It’s possible that iOS 18.7.2, the current release, will be the last one that Apple will provide for users to avoid iOS 26. In recent years, support for the previous cycle has run out about now — though security updates may continue sporadically. If that’s the case, iOS 26.2’s release in December could be the moment that reality bites, and many users will feel the need to update can’t be put off any longer.
