iOS 18 will become available as a software update for iPhone on Monday, September 16, alongside iPadOS 18 for iPad. With some fun new features, customization options, and capabilities, it’s easy to see why people are excited about installing the new software update on their iPhone or iPad.
Before you dive into updating your iPhone to iOS 18, or iPad to ipadOS 18, consider taking a few steps to prepare your device.
Apple has bestowed upon us some wonderful weekend reading, in the form of all new iCloud Terms and Conditions, which are required to accept if you wish to continue to use iCloud on your Apple devices. It’s iCloud, it’s Terms, and it’s Conditions… iCloud. Terms. Conditions… are you getting it yet? This is not three separate documents!
It’s a page turner from the very beginning where Apple welcomes you – and you do feel that welcome, don’t you? – to the very end where they provide a URL for the web version of the document, the full new iCloud Terms and Conditions comes in at a soothing 10,437 words. That’s roughly 21 pages of a single-spaced text document, or 42 pages double-spaced for all you students out there, making the new iCloud Terms and Conditions roughly the length of a healthy college dissertation.
The writing style is effortless and riveting, and it’ll keep you on the edge of your seat like a Jack Carr novel, rising to a thrilling crescendo once it reaches the section on how you’re not allowed to use any of the Apple software or services to participate in the “development, design, manufacture or production of missiles, nuclear, chemical or biological weapons” (seriously, it says that, so don’t do any of that).
In all of the hubbub about the new iPhone 16 series and release candidate builds for macOS Sequoia, iOS 18, and iPadOS 18, you might have missed when Apple announced what the official release dates will be for all of their new operating systems.
Let’s clear that up right now so that you can be ready to download the install the iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, watchOS 11, and tvOS 18 onto your eligible devices.
Apple has issued the macOS Sequoia 15 release candidate build for Mac users participating in the beta testing programs, for both developer and public beta testers.
Separately, you’ll find downloads for iOS 18 release candidate, iPadOS 18 release candidate, watchOS 11 release candidate, tvOS 18 release candidate, and visionOS 2 release candidate, for those eligible devices as well.
Apple has issued the Release Candidate build for iOS 18 for iPhone, alongside iPadOS 18 Release Candidate. The RC, or Release Candidate, build is typically the final version that will match the public release, and is available now labeled simply as iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 for any iPhone or iPad user that is enrolled in the public or developer beta testing programs.
Separately, macOS Sequoia Release Candidate has also been made available, alongside Release Candidate builds for WatchOS 11 and tvOS 18.
Apple has announced the all new iPhone 16 series, including iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Each new iPhone supports Apple Intelligence, the upcoming AI feature suite debuting in October.
As is expected with the annual iPhone update cycle, each new iPhone offers faster performance with improved cameras, and include a variety of other marginal improvements to things like the microphone and power efficiency, compared to the prior model iPhones they are replacing.
We watched the keynote and waded through all the aggressive Apple marketing language and buzzwords, and the gist of the new iPhone 16 series is as follows:
Apple has announced the all new Apple Watch Series 10, with a slight redesign that is a little thinner, larger screens, sleep apnea detection features, temperature sensors for the wrist and water, a water depth sensor, a slightly lighter weight, and faster charging.
WatchOS 11 features some intriguing new capabilities for Apple Watch, particularly for health and fitness. With a new Vitals app, training load feature, customizations for and the ability to pause Activity rings, Translate app for Apple Watch, Cycle Tracking app, Smart Stack, customizations to the Photos face, and more, it’s easy to see why Apple Watch users are excited about the watchOS 11 software update.
But will your Apple Watch run watchOS 11? What are the supported Apple Watch models, and what are the requirements? Let’s dive in and find out.
iPadOS 18 for iPad includes some exciting new features for iPad users, from more interface customization options like Dark Mode icons and widgets, color hued icons and widgets, a customizable Control Center, the debut of a Calculator app for iPad, Passwords app, a Photos redesign, improvements to Notes app, new features in Safari like Distraction Control, and tons of AI Apple Intelligence features throughout the operating system, you’ll find plenty to keep you busy and productive.
Like every new major system software release, iPadOS 18 has specific system requirements, however, and not every iPad model is compatible with the new operating system. And even if the iPad can run iPadOS 18, that doesn’t mean it will gain all features, because some features like Apple Intelligence AI have even stricter system requirements and compatibility.
Read along to discover which iPad models support iPadOS 18, and if the iPad supports Apple Intelligence AI features, too. This article will focus on iPad, but if you’re curious about what iPhone models support iOS 18 or which Macs support macOS Sequoia, you can check out those lists too.
The classic science fiction FPS (First Person Shooter) game “Marathon Infinity” is now available to play for free from Steam, for Mac and Windows.
Marathon Infinity, originally released in 1996, is the third game in the Marathon series, and continues the theme of battling hostile aliens in unusual settings. Marathon Infinity introduced some intriguing and innovative gameplay ideas that were certainly unique for its time, like time travel and non-linear storytelling. The first two Marathon games are also available free to play on Steam, and you can get them all free here from the Aleph One project if you’d rather not use Steam too.
Labor Day Weekend continues and so do the sweet deals from Amazon on select Apple products. Many of these Labor Day deals are some of the best prices of all time on these products, so if you’re shopping around for new Apple hardware anyway you might as well enjoy the hefty discounts from Amazon.
iPad 9th gen for $199!
The iPad 9th gen might be the best Apple deal of Labor Day Weekend, coming in at just $199, down from the $329 retail price. The 9th gen iPad is also the last model with a Home button, making it a particularly valuable product for users who are accustomed to that method of interaction. Amazon is also offering a decent discount on the 13″ iPad Air M2 model, if you’d rather have a larger screen and more powerful processor.
The M3 MacBook Air with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD is available at a $250 discount on Amazon in both the 13″ and 15″ display sizes. This is a great price for a great Apple laptop:
Amazon is offering Apple Watch Series 9 for $299, taking $100 off the MSRP. You’ll find the big discounted price available for a variety of colors and band options, so explore to find the one that suits you best. Apple Watch 9 offers excellent fitness/activity tracking capabilities, and health monitoring tools like a heart rate monitor, ECG, ovulation tracking, GPS, and more.
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Amazon is offering some fantastic deals on Apple products this Labor Day weekend, so if you’re in the market for some new Apple gear, whether it’s a swanky new MacBook or iPad, or just want a huge discount on an Apple Watch or AirPods, it’s a good time to be shopping for some new Apple kit.
Apple has released MacOS Sequoia public beta 6, iOS 18 public beta 6, and iPadOS 18 public beta 6, to users enrolled in the public beta testing programs. The build numbers match the 8th developer betas of the same MacOS/iOS/iPadOS versions, which were just released as well. You’ll also find new betas for watchOS 11 and tvOS 18, if you’re interested in those too.
Apple has issued the 5th public beta of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. The 5th public beta build matches the 7th developer beta build, as is typically the case.
Amazon is blowing out the iPad 9th gen at a huge 40% discount, taking the price to just $199, down from the $329 MSRP.
The 9th gen iPad features an A13 Bionic chip, a 10.2″ LCD Retina display, 64GB of storage, wi-fi, a 12MP front camera, 8MP rear camera, great battery life, and Touch ID with a Home button – this is the last iPad model to have a Home button so if you or a loved one favors the Home button models this is a particularly compelling option.
The 9th gen iPad is also compatible with iPadOS 18, which is due out soon, so you’ll be able to run the latest and greatest upcoming operating system from Apple with it’s snazzy new features too.
This is likely the best iPad deal for Labor Day weekend sales – if you find another iPad available at 40% or better discount, share it with us! – so if you’re in the market and shopping around for a new couch web browser, kid iPad, iPad for the grandparents, or whatever you can imagine, this sale price will be tough to beat.
FTC: OSXDaily is an affiliate partner with Amazon, meaning if you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment which goes towards keeping the site running.
The third beta versions of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and MacOS Sequoia 15.1, have been released by Apple. Each of these versions of beta system software support Apple Intelligence (assuming the iPhone, iPad, or Mac supports it too, anyway), whereas the iOS/ipadOS 18.0 and macOS 15.0 versions do not.
With the amount of betas that Apple is releasing these days, it’s pretty easy to get lost and wonder which is for what and why there are concurrent betas. To put it simply, it’s this; while Apple Intelligence AI features were announced at the same time as iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and MacOS Sequoia 15, Apple mentioned those AI features would be coming later. That “later” version that supports Apple Intelligence AI is iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and MacOS Sequoia 15.1.
Apple has released macOS Sequoia 15 beta 8 for users enrolled in the developer beta testing program. The same build matches macOS Sequoia public beta 6, which is also available.
You will also find iOS 18 beta 8, iPadOS 18 beta 8, watchOS 11 beta 8, tvOS 18 beta 8, and visionOS 2 beta 8, along with iOS 18.1 beta 3, iPadOS 18.1 beta 3, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 beta 3.
MacOS Sequoia includes some nice new features for Mac, including iPhone Mirroring, new wallpapers, new screen savers, Passwords app, new window tiling capabilities, and a handful of new features and changes to apps like Safari, Photos, Notes, Mail, Messages, and more. Apple Intelligence AI features are also part of macOS Sequoia, though the system requirements for AI are quite strict. You can learn more about Mac system compatibility for macOS Sequoia here.
Apple has said the final version of macOS Sequoia will be released this fall, but with the beta versions being quite advanced at this point, adventurous users may install macOS Seqouia developer beta right now if they’re interested in doing so.
Apple has released iOS 18 beta 8 alongside iPadOS 18 beta 8 for users enrolled in the developer beta testing programs for Apple system software. The rumors that beta 7 could be the final build have proved false, as iOS 18 beta 8 and iPadOS 18 beta 8 are now available as well as macOS Sequoia beta 8, tvOS 18 beta 8, watchOS 11 beta 8, and visionOS 2 beta 8.
Separately, iOS 18.1 beta 3, iPadOS 18.1 beta 3, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 beta 3, are also available. These concurrent beta releases are different in that they support Apple Intelligence AI features (at least on devices that are compatible with iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, and that also support the Apple Intelligence features).
It’s certainly conceivable that beta 8 is either the final build or close to the final build, and while the final public release is likely coming soon, any user can jump ahead of the pack by installing iOS 18 beta on iPhone or installing iPadOS 18 beta on iPad if they’re motivated to do so. You can update directly from betas to the final versions.
iOS 18 for iPhone includes a variety of new features that many users are excited about, from all new Dark Mode icons and widgets, to color hued icons/widgets, customizable Control Center, Apple Intelligence AI features that will write emails and texts for you and summarize data or generate images, a confusing Photos redesign, Game Mode for iPhone, iPhone Mirroring for iPhones with Macs running macOS Sequoia, RCS messaging support, plus tons of changes to apps like Safari, Notes, Messages, Mail, and more.
In order to be able to get iOS 18 on your iPhone, you must have an iPhone model that is compatible with iOS 18. But even if your iPhone supports iOS 18, that doesn’t mean it will have access to all the features of iOS 18, because features like Apple Intelligence AI have even stricter system requirements.
Read on to find out if your iPhone supports iOS 18, and if your iPhone is compatible with iOS 18 Apple Intelligence features.