Updated May 13 with more details of the software now it’s been released.
Apple has just released the latest iPhone software, iOS 18.5. It will be one of the last big updates before iOS 19 arrives this fall. Here’s how to get it and what’s waiting for you when you do. It may not be the heaviest release for new features, but there are plenty of security issues and fixes which make it important. Apple, in its release notes, has warned all iPhone users update now.
Last year’s schedule had a .6 appearance at the end of July, followed by iOS 17.6.1 in August and iOS 17.7 in September alongside iOS 18. The most likely scenario is something similar this time around.
Which iPhones Can Run iOS 18.5?
The latest iPhone software, iOS 18, is compatible with all iPhones from 2018 onwards. That means the iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max and iPhone Xr and all iPhones since, including the iPhone SE in both its second- and third-generation models. And all members of the iPhone 16 series are included, right up to the iPhone 16e.
How To Get It
In the iPhone Settings app, choose General, then Software Update. Next, you want Download and Install, and it’ll be on your phone shortly. This is a biggish update, 1.58GB on my iPhone 16 Pro Max.
What’s In The Release
The content of the new release is not a huge amount for one with only one decimal point in it, that is, it’s iOS 18.5, not iOS 18. x.x.
There’s the Pride Harmony wallpaper which helped confirm release date rumors. This wallpaper is a regular thing from Apple, at this time of year before Pride month (June). It’s available for the iPhone and iPad. There’s a new watch face for the Apple Watch, alongside a new Pride Edition Apple Watch Sport Band (full details here).
There are tweaks to Mail, specifically making it easier to switch between categories and list views without having to go into Settings. And, a tiny but important thing, this, the All Mail button is more visible. Previously it was entirely offscreen and if you had never noticed it was even there, you wouldn’t be alone. This gentle repositioning means it’s unmissable without being annoyingly dominating.
There are also a bunch of security issues in this new update, and by a bunch, I mean 33 of them.
Don’t worry, they’re not all serious, but enough are for them to be worth taking your time to discover. There are lots of details not yet revealed, which is Apple’s style to help ensure as many people as possible can upgrade to the new software before bad actors can try and exploit them. But we know there are issues involving WebKit, which is the foundation of the Safari browser, one of which could lead to memory corruption.
There’s also a patch for a problem which saw the mute button not disabling the microphone during FaceTime calls. I mean, I’ve mis-pressed the button numerous times and almost got into hot water, so I really don’t need Apple doing it for me.
Bugs that may have been introduced in earlier releases such as the recent iOS 18.4.1 are also believed to have been squished. .
Parents can now receive a notification when the Screen Time passcode is used on a child’s device, which is new. There’s a new way to pay for something with your iPhone: Buy with iPhone is available when purchasing content within the Apple TV app on a third-party device. If you have an Apple Vision Pro, then the companion app is on your phone and this updated will fix an issue where the app may display a black screen.
Finally, and I did say it was a short list, there’s a cool extra coming to iPhone 13 users. Carrier-provided satellite features will be available on all models of iPhone 13 with this update. You can read more about this feature here. What will make this a critical update is the bugs and security fixes which are yet to be announced.