On Monday, Apple will be holding its annual iPhone event. This year’s presentation is dubbed “It’s Glowtime,” and Apple is expected to use the occasion to debut its new iPhone 16 series as well as new AirPods and new Apple Watches.
Also on Monday, Apple is expected to announce the release date for iOS 18, the iPhone’s upcoming operating system. It’s very likely that Apple could make iOS 18 available to download on existing iPhones within a week—with September 13 or September 16 being the two most likely launch dates based on previous iOS releases.
No matter when it actually happens, though, you’re just days away from being able to install iOS 18 on your iPhone. And if you plan on doing so, there are some steps you should take first to get your iPhone ready.
1. Make sure your iPhone will run iOS 18
The first step you should take before you install iOS 18 on your iPhone is to make sure your existing iPhone will actually run iOS 18. If your iPhone can’t support it, you’ll be stuck running iOS 17 or an earlier operating system for the rest of its life.
Here are the iPhones that will be able to install iOS 18:
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 15 Plus
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 14
- iPhone 14 Plus
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 mini
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone SE (2nd generation or later)
If you’ve got one of these iPhones, you’re golden: iOS 18 will be able to run on it.
2. Make sure your iPhone is already running the latest iOS
Another good practice is to make sure your iPhone is already running the latest iOS before you upgrade to iOS 18. This will ensure that you have the smoothest upgrade transition.
