Overview

• Apple seeded the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 release‑candidate build (23A340) to developers ahead of the public rollout.
• The iPhone 17 lineup will ship with iOS 26 preinstalled, with the software release landing between preorders on Sept. 12 and retail availability on Sept. 19.
• iOS 26 supports iPhone 11 and newer, including iPhone SE (2nd generation and later), dropping iPhone XS, XS Max and XR.
• Apple Intelligence highlights include live translation in Messages, FaceTime and Phone, on‑screen Visual Intelligence actions, and Genmoji/Image Playground with ChatGPT integration, with many features restricted to iPhone 15 Pro and newer.
• Companion updates—iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, watchOS 26, tvOS 26 and visionOS 26—are slated to arrive the same day on compatible devices.