Apple is on the verge of launching new iPhones, which means that a new version of iOS is also just around the corner.
With the big iPhone 17 event looming next week, one of the primary questions on everyone's mind pertains to when they'll be able to test out all the new iOS 26 features. There are two bits of good news here: It's relatively easy to predict the iOS 26 release date, and that time is coming very soon.
To be more specific, the best estimate anyone has for the release date of iOS 26 is Sept. 16.
Apple typically releases the newest operating system for iPhones sometime between the big annual iPhone announcement event and the launch of the phones themselves, which usually means roughly a week after the event. Last year's Apple event was, like this year's, on Sept. 9, and iOS 18 did, in fact, launch on Sept. 16 of that year.
Even if Apple changes it around by a day or two on either end, you can still pretty much book that week in your calendar for the release of iOS 26 and Liquid Glass. Apple wants the new version on as many phones as possible, including new iPhones at launch. According to Apple, iOS 26 is compatible with every iPhone from the iPhone 11 onward, including the second-generation iPhone SE. (Apple Intelligence features are only available with newer models, however.) Anything older than that is out of luck.
In case you've been out of the loop, iOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, and iPadOS 26 bring a new "Liquid Glass" design language where every UI element looks like, well, like glass. It's a big change for Apple users, and it brings with it wholesale redesigns of the Photos and Phone apps, as well as new features like group chat backgrounds and polls in Messages.
You can download a public beta for iOS 26 right now (keep in mind that doing so on your everyday device can be risky). Apple just released the ninth beta for iOS 26 a couple of days ago, though it looks like the latest build is mostly filled with small bug fixes.
We're almost there, folks. You don't have to hold your breath for much longer.
