Apple has just released the first developer beta of iOS 26 along with several other versions of its operating systems. With this release starts a long beta testing journey that is expected to last over 3 months, after which iOS 26 will be released to the public.
So if you are wondering exactly when Apple will release iOS 26 for the public, then keep reading.
Before diving into iOS 26’s release date, let’s take a quick look back at when Apple launched the last three major iOS versions to get a better idea of what to expect.
- iOS 16 was released on Monday, September 12, 2022
- iOS 17 was released on Monday, September 16, 2023
- iOS 18 was released on Monday, September 18, 2024
Based on the historical data, we can conclude that Apple usually releases a major iOS version in mid-September on a Monday.
Looking at the 2025 Calendar for September, we can see that the three Mondays that are close to the middle of the month are:
- September 8, 2025
- September 15, 2025 – most likely
- September 22, 2025
While it is hard to predict exactly which Monday the iOS 26 release will fall on, the most likely candidate out of the three days mentioned is September 15, followed by September 22.
So we believe Apple would release iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 on September 15, 2025. This is the same day Apple will most likely announce the next generation of iPhone.
Here’s our hands-on video where we check out the performance of iOS 26 beta 1 on iPhone 16 Pro Max.
