iOS 26.0.1 just arrived this week, but the next more substantive iPhone update coming is iOS 26.1. It’s in beta testing now, but a public launch isn’t far off. Here’s the expected iOS 26.1 release date.
iOS 26.1 expected to launch in late October
Apple is a secretive company, but it can also be highly predictable in certain ways.
For example, every September new iPhones launch at more or less the exact same time.
Software launches tend to be very cyclical too. So even though Apple hasn’t yet announced an iOS 26.1 release date, we can predict fairly confidently when it will arrive.
Here are release dates for the last few years of x.1 updates:
iOS 18.1: Monday, October 28
iOS 17.1: Wednesday, October 25
iOS 16.1: Monday, October 24
As you can see, despite a little variability regarding the day of the week, general timing follows a clear pattern.
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