Apple will release iOS 18, macOS 15, iPadOS 18 and other updates on September 16

Apple plans to release the next versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS to the general public on September 16, the company announced on its website today following its iPhone-centric product event. We should also see updates to tvOS and the HomePod operating system on the same day.

The new versions bring a number of new features and improvements to Apple's platforms: better texting with Android devices thanks to support for the RCS standard, iPhone Mirroring, which allows you to interact with your iPhone through your Mac, more options for customizing the user interface for iPhones and iPads, and even more improvements.

What won't be included in these initial releases is any reference to Apple Intelligence, the suite of generative AI and machine learning features that Apple announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Apple is testing some of the Apple Intelligence features in beta versions of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS 15.1, updates that will be released later this fall. When Apple Intelligence does indeed arrive, compatibility will be limited: It will require an iPhone 15 Pro or one of the just-announced iPhone 16 or 16 Pro models; an iPad Air or Pro with an M1, M2, or M4 chip; or an Apple Silicon Mac. Apple will also keep Apple Intelligence out of devices in the EU, at least for now.

The new operating systems will run on most hardware versions currently compatible with iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma, including the last generations of Intel Macs from 2018, 2019, and 2020. However, there are some exceptions, such as the 2018 MacBook Air and some older iPads. Phones as old as the 2018 iPhone XR and XS will be able to install and run the iOS 18 update.

Apple has released several beta versions of each operating system since WWDC in June, and release candidate builds are likely to be sent out to users and developers today. These allow developers to finish the final versions of their apps for launch day. Users who want to move to the new operating systems early can do so as well—you can be relatively sure that most of the biggest bugs were fixed over the course of the summer betas. As always, though, when installing major updates, make sure you have good backups of your data beforehand.