Apple has today released for download iOS 26 RC IPSW links and OTA update, and it can now be installed on your own devices— here are all the details we have.

The iOS 26 update has worried some political operatives, who fear that their voter contact efforts will be stymied by new screening features.

The next major Apple update is the first to break with the numerical tradition the company had been following.

Apple iOS 18.6.1 is compatible with all iPhones from 2018 on. That’s the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Plus and iPhone XR models and every phone since. That means the iPhone 11 series, iPhone 12, iPhone 13 and so on right up to the iPhone 16 series, plus the second- and third-generation iPhone SE models as well as the iPhone 16e.

Like previous iPhone software updates, iOS 26 adds several new features to Apple's AirPods. While iOS 26 will be officially released sometime

Washington Post tech reporter Chris Velazco tests out Apple's iPhone Air and AirPods Pro 3 at the company's 2025 September launch event.