iOS 18.3 for iPhone Is Just Around the Corner. When Will It Be Released?

Apple developers this week were alerted to the release candidate version of iOS 18.3, the next version of the software powering the iPhone. The RC is usually — but not always — the last version to appear for testing to find any last-minute bugs.

From what we’ve seen so far, this update won’t be as significant as iOS 18.2, which brought new Apple Intelligence features to the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro that were teased for months. These include visual intelligence, which is one of the key features of the new Camera Control button, and the ability to experiment with Genmoji and generate images in Apple’s Image Playground. If you haven’t yet installed this release, learn how to grab it now (and make sure to create a good backup first).

Now that the RC has rolled out for developers, when can we expect to see the release for everyone?

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When will iOS 18.3 be widely released?

Since the iOS 18.3 RC is out, Apple’s engineers are likely working through any last-minute glitches that invariably crop up with every major release. Fortunately, that work isn’t entirely behind closed doors: The first iOS 18.3 Public Beta was released in late December. Apple seeds its prerelease versions first to developers and then, when the code seems pretty stable, to the Public Beta programs.

We can, however, look at last year’s iOS 17 schedule for guidance, since iOS 17.2 arrived in the same time period one year ago as iOS 18.2 did. Based on that timing, it’s a good bet that iOS 18.3 will arrive in as early as January 27.

Apple's iPhone 16 Pro Max with Siri's halo glow — James Martin/CNET

Which devices will run Apple Intelligence?

Remember that Apple Intelligence will work only with the following models that are equipped with the A17 Pro or later (iPhone and iPad Mini) and M1 or later (Mac and iPad) processors: