Updated Dec. 20 with more information about iOS 18.7.3 isn’t and how it’s no longer available.
Apple released iOS 26.2 on Friday, Dec. 12 and, alongside it, iOS 18.7.3. However, reports emerged that while it was installing nicely on iPhones that couldn’t run iOS 26, nobody else was getting it. Here’s what happened, and what it means, including a new report which suggests it could be a bug, or a new policy — and how the options to upgrade have changed again..
When Apple launches a new software cycle, it knows that some users aren’t keen to jump aboard straight away. Perhaps because they fear it’s not stable enough or they don’t like parts of the new OS. Liquid Glass, the new design in iOS 26 has had a mixed reception, for instance, with some users with low vision finding it hard to use.