There’s been a lot of activity lately regarding software updates for iOS, the iPhone’s mobile operating system. With the release of iOS 18.4, the Cupertino company made a major leap forward with Apple Intelligence’s artificial intelligence improvements, and shortly after, Apple released iOS 18.4.1 with technical improvements, bug fixes, and security enhancements.
Apple is currently working on iOS 18.5, a software update currently in beta. In fact, it’s only been a couple of days since the release of the third beta version of iOS 18.5.
The next major iPhone software update won’t have as many new features as iOS 18.4, which, in addition to Apple Intelligence support for Spanish, also introduced new emojis and buttons for the Control Center, but iOS 18.5 will include a secret feature that will be very useful. That said, here’s everything we know about iOS 18.5 and its release date.
When will iOS 18.5 be released for iPhone?
With iOS 18.4, we knew for sure when the software update would arrive because Apple had previously indicated that Apple Intelligence would be arriving in Europe in April. However, with iOS 18.5, there are far fewer clues…
But we can look at Apple’s update cycle history from previous years to get a rough idea of when iOS 18.5 will be officially released for all compatible iPhone models.
- iOS 17.5: May 13, 2024.
- iOS 16.5: May 18, 2023.
- iOS 15.5: May 16, 2022.
- iOS 14.5: April 26, 2021.
- iOS 13.5: May 20, 2020.
As you can see, all of these software updates were released during the month of May, except for iOS 14.5, which arrived at the end of April. So everything seems to indicate that iOS 18.5 will make its official debut the week of May 12th, or perhaps a week later.
What’s new in iOS 18.5?
We have direct access to all the latest updates regarding the iPhone’s “x.5” updates, which will help us understand the nature of its new features. Historically, these types of updates have brought small, very useful improvements, such as during the pandemic, when iOS 13.5 added a Face ID unlock feature with a mask.
For its part, iOS 16.5 included external links in reading apps and improvements to Apple Pay Cash. Last year’s iOS 17.5 update was much more significant, with the introduction of sideloading for app downloads from alternative app stores.
But what’s most striking is that virtually all of the x.5 updates included new iPhone wallpapers and Apple Watch faces to celebrate Pride Month.
Meanwhile, iOS 18.5 includes new features for Mail categories . There’s an option to group emails by sender and another option to show or hide contact photos within Apple’s native email management app.
Additionally, the AppleCare Settings section includes an information panel to learn everything about your iPhone’s warranty. We’ll see if Apple finally includes new wallpapers.
Which iPhone models will be compatible with iOS 18.5?
In theory, all iPhone models compatible with iOS 18 will also support iOS 18.5. Here’s the full list of all iPhone generations that will be eligible for this software update:
- iPhone 16 Pro Max.
- iPhone 16 Pro.
- iPhone 16 Plus.
- iPhone 16e.
- iPhone 16.
- iPhone 15 Pro Max.
- iPhone 15 Pro.
- iPhone 15 Plus.
- iPhone 15.
- iPhone 14 Pro Max.
- iPhone 14 Pro.
- iPhone 14 Plus.
- iPhone 14.
- iPhone 13 Pro Max.
- iPhone 13 Pro.
- iPhone 13.
- iPhone 13 mini.
- iPhone SE 2022.
- iPhone 12 Pro Max.
- iPhone 12 Pro.
- iPhone 12.
- iPhone 12 mini.
- iPhone SE 2020
- iPhone 11 Pro Max.
- iPhone 11 Pro.
- iPhone 11.
- iPhone XS Max.
- iPhone XS.
- iPhone XR.
That’s all you need to know about the iOS 18.5 software update. It’s almost here until its official release on the iPhone, and Apple is expected to release a new beta version of iOS 18.5 very soon. We’ll be keeping an eye on this issue for any further developments in this update.
