RC Build of iOS 18.6, MacOS Sequoia 15.6, iPadOS 18.6 Released for Testing

Apple has issued a Release Candidate (RC) build of iOS 18.6, iPadOS 18.6, and MacOS Sequoia 15.6, for users who are enrolled in the beta testing programs for current generation system software.

An RC build typically indicates the end of a beta testing cycle, absent the finding of any major critical issue, and can serve as an indicator of when a final release of that system software version is arriving. In this case, if the RC build is available now, it’s a high likelihood the final versions of iOS 18.6, iPadOS 18.6, and MacOS Sequoia 15.6, will be released as a final version to all eligible devices in the near future, possibly this week or next.

No major new features or changes are expected in iOS 18.6, iPadOS 18.6, and MacOS Sequoia 15.6, whose beta development are separate from the concurrent beta testing of iOS 26 beta, iPadOS 26 beta, and MacOS Sequoia 26 beta, the latter three of which are where the majority of beta interest from Apple, developers, and end users is focused.

Users who are actively participating in the current generation beta testing programs (rather than the iOS/iPadOS/macOS 26 betas) will be able to find the RC build available through the typical software update mechanism of which betas arrive.

For Mac beta testers, you can find this through System Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates > Select “MacOS Sequoia Developer Beta”, to find the latest macOS 15.6 Release Candidate release available to download and install.

For iPhone and iPad beta testers, going over to Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates > Selecting ‘iOS 18 Developer Beta’ and then returning to Software Update will allow you to find the iOS/iPadOS 18.6 Release Candidate build as available.

The majority of users would be better off simply waiting for the final versions of iOS 18.6, iPadOS 18.6, and MacOS Sequoia 15.6 to be available, which they can simply install as a standard point release update. While the timeline for that is unknown, typically an RC build indicates the release is coming sooner than later.

Separately, the finalization of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe 26 will be released this fall.