Release record

iOS 18.0

Full article
Public release
Recorded milestones
12
Beta cycle
98d
Average interval
9d
Public release
Sep 16, 2024

Release notes

Overview

Editorial synthesis with inline references and a source ledger when citations are available.

iOS 18 broadened personalization and communication on iPhone. It let people place and recolor Home Screen controls more freely, reorganize Control Center, work with a redesigned Photos library, and use expanded Messages tools including text formatting, scheduled messages, RCS, and satellite messaging where supported.[1]

Safari, Passwords, and Maps also received substantial additions, while Apple’s separate security bulletin documented the release’s security corrections. Individual capabilities depend on compatible hardware, carrier service, language, and region.[2][3]

Source ledger

References

Sources are linked to the claims they support. Publication and access dates are shown when available.

  1. About iOS 18 Updates

    Apple Support · 2026-07-29 · iOS 18 — Home Screen, Control Center, Photos, and Messages

    Back to text ↑
  2. About iOS 18 Updates

    Apple Support · 2026-07-29 · iOS 18 — Safari, Passwords, Maps, and availability notes

    Back to text ↑
  3. About the Security Content of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18

    Apple Support · 2026-07-29 · iOS 18 and iPadOS 18; released September 16, 2024

    Back to text ↑
  4. About iOS 18 Updates

    Apple Support · 2026-07-29 · iOS 18

  5. About the Security Content of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18

    Apple Support · 2026-07-29 · Released September 16, 2024

  6. iOS & iPadOS 18 Release Notes

    Apple Developer · 2026-07-29

Documented & observed

Changes in this version

Source-linked features, fixes, known issues, removals, and community-observed behavior recorded across this version’s appearances and verified builds.

Release changes

Changed in this release

Features, fixes, removals, and regressions first observed in this release record.

developerApi · introduced

Swift Charts function and vectorized plots

documentedconfirmed

The first state introduces LinePlot and AreaPlot for math functions plus vectorized PointPlot and RectanglePlot APIs.

Recorded at Beta 1

  1. [1] iOS & iPadOS 18 Beta Release Notes (preserved snapshot) · Swift Charts — New Features; 117186178 and 117469419

developerApi · introduced

MapKit place identity and place cards

documentedconfirmed

The initial notes group three related MapKit additions: Place IDs, expanded search result types, and place-card presentation.

Recorded at Beta 1

  1. [1] iOS & iPadOS 18 Beta Release Notes (preserved snapshot) · Maps — New Features; 129071038, 129073725, and 129073922

developerApi · introduced

RealityKit subdivision and Display P3 rendering

documentedconfirmed

The initial state adds subdivision rendering with documented resource costs and expands virtual-object rendering to Display P3.

Recorded at Beta 1

  1. [1] iOS & iPadOS 18 Beta Release Notes (preserved snapshot) · RealityKit — New Features; 129016034 and 129017592

developerApi · changed

SwiftUI default MainActor isolation

documentedconfirmed

The SDK applies default MainActor isolation to View and related protocol conformances while leaving runtime evaluation behavior unchanged.

Recorded at Beta 1

  1. [1] iOS & iPadOS 18 Beta Release Notes (preserved snapshot) · SwiftUI — New Features; 120815051

behavior · changed

System memory allocator implementation

documentedconfirmed

Apple warned developers that a new allocator implementation could reveal existing memory defects and change allocation behavior.

Recorded at Beta 1

  1. [1] iOS & iPadOS 18 Beta Release Notes (preserved snapshot) · Memory Allocation — New Features; 127493322

enhancement · changed

Messages formatting, effects, and Send Later

documentedconfirmed

Bold, underline, italic, and strikethrough formatting joined animated text effects, broader Tapbacks, and Send Later for composing messages ahead of time.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About iOS 18 Updates · iOS 18 — Messages

feature · introduced

RCS and Messages via satellite

documentedconfirmed

Supported devices could send messages over satellite when cellular and Wi-Fi service were unavailable, while carrier-supported RCS improved media, receipts, and group messaging with non-Apple devices.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About iOS 18 Updates · iOS 18 — Messages via satellite and RCS messaging

feature · changed

Redesigned Photos library

documentedconfirmed

The Photos redesign combined the grid and collections into a single view, added topic-based organization, and let users reorder or pin the collections they use most.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About iOS 18 Updates · iOS 18 — Photos

feature · introduced

Home Screen and Control Center customization

documentedconfirmed

Apps and widgets could be arranged with more open space, icons could use dark or tinted appearances, and Control Center controls could be grouped, resized, and reached from additional pages.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About iOS 18 Updates · iOS 18 — Home Screen and Control Center

enhancement · changed

Safari Highlights, Reader, and Distraction Control

documentedconfirmed

Supported pages could surface summaries and useful details through Highlights and Reader, while Distraction Control let users hide selected page elements that interfered with browsing.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About iOS 18 Updates · iOS 18 — Safari

feature · introduced

Passwords app

documentedconfirmed

Passwords moved credential management into a standalone app with synced access to passwords, passkeys, verification codes, Wi-Fi credentials, and warnings about weak or compromised passwords.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About iOS 18 Updates · iOS 18 — Passwords

Milestones

Release history

Every recorded channel appearance in chronological order. Open an appearance for any available build, scope, notes, and sources.

  1. Developer beta

    Beta 1

    Full articleEditorially verified

    iOS 18 Beta 1 is represented by 14 source-supported changes selected from Apple’s preserved 196-record initial state; no build number or unsupported milestone payload is inferred.

    Availability
    available
    Sources
    19 linked
    Open this appearance
  2. +14 days

    Developer beta

    Beta 2

    Full articleEditorially verified

    iOS 18 Beta 2 is represented by 13 source-supported changes selected from Apple’s preserved 219-record state; no build number or unsupported milestone payload is inferred.

    Availability
    available
    Sources
    20 linked
    Open this appearance
  3. +14 days

    Developer beta

    Beta 3

    Full articleEditorially verified

    iOS 18 Beta 3 is represented by 12 source-supported changes selected from Apple’s preserved 227-record state; no build number or unsupported milestone payload is inferred.

    Availability
    available
    Sources
    19 linked
    Open this appearance
  4. +7 days

    Developer beta

    Beta 3 v2

    Full articleEditorially verified

    iOS 18 Beta 3 v2 is represented by 2 source-supported changes selected from Apple’s preserved 229-record July 15 state; no build number or unsupported milestone payload is inferred.

    Availability
    available
    Sources
    9 linked
    Open this appearance
  5. +8 days
  6. +3 days
  7. +10 days
  8. +7 days
  9. +8 days
  10. +8 days
  11. +12 days
  12. +7 days

    Public release

    Public

    Source-linked recordEditorially verified

    The public iOS 18 release established the cycle’s personalization, Photos, Messages, Safari, Passwords, and Maps foundations, alongside a separately documented security update.

    Availability
    available
    Sources
    8 linked
    Open this appearance

Historical context

Cycle comparison

Pace, intervals, and duration compared with earlier releases on the same platform.

Historical avg for major releases

102 days, 9.9 milestones

Based on 17 previous iOS .0 releases

Cycle vs. platform average

98d (avg: 57d)

41 days longer than the iOS average

Duration ranking

#15 of 92

Middle of the pack iOS beta cycles

Longest gap in this cycle

14 days

Between Beta 1 and Beta 2

Previous .0 releases (iOS)

Previous comparable iOS releases
VersionYearCycleMilestonesAvg. Interval
iOS 26.0202598d158d
iOS 17.02023105d139d
iOS 16.0202298d1210d
iOS 15.02021105d1211d
iOS 14.0202086d1010d
iOS 13.02019108d1111d

Scroll horizontally to compare every historical field.

Official release notes