Apple announced that the stable version of iOS 18 will be released to eligible devices on September 16. The announcement was made during the company's “It's Glowtime” event on Monday. However, users can also choose to stay on iOS 17 and receive security updates for a while. This concession will be helpful for those users who do not want to immediately upgrade to the new operating system and deal with minor bugs and glitches, which might be present at launch.
iPhone users might still be using iOS 17 for a while
While it's normal to update to the new version of the operating system once it's available, iPhone users can stick with iOS 17, according to a report by 9to5Mac. Apple released the iOS 17.7 release candidate (RC) on Monday to developers and public beta testers alongside the iOS 18 RC, meaning the update will be available to users who are in no rush to try out iOS 18.
While the iOS 17.7 RC version is not reported to contain any new features, it does include the latest security patches and bug fixes. Apple also offered iOS 16 security updates to users for a brief period when iOS 17 was released last year.
If the same trend continues this year, iOS 17 security updates might be available to users beyond the arrival of iOS 18. After a certain period, security updates will only be released for devices that are not compatible with iOS 18, as the next update is compatible with all phones running iOS 17.
Users who choose not to update their device to the latest OS will miss out on all the new features such as Home screen customization, Apple Intelligence, the redesigned Control Center, replaceable lock screen icons, and more. However, they will be able to avoid any minor bugs or glitches in the new OS, which could take a few weeks to be fixed by the tech giant. This could be crucial if the iPhone is used on a daily basis or for work-related use cases.