Apple has confirmed that it will officially release iOS 18 to the public next week, on September 17. The update brings many new features, but some users may be reluctant to upgrade immediately due to concerns about early vulnerabilities and compatibility issues with important applications. According to CNMO, Apple will provide users with a choice, allowing them to stay on iOS 17 and continue to receive security patches.
As iOS 18.0 RC (Release Candidate) was launched to the public this week, Apple also released iOS 17.7 RC for developers and public testers. This update does not bring new features, but provides security patches and bug fixes for iOS 17. It is expected that iOS 17.7 will be released simultaneously with iOS 18.0 next week. At that time, users will see these two update options in the Settings app on iPhone and iPad, and can choose to stay on iOS 17 with the latest security patches or upgrade to iOS 18 with new features according to their needs. It is worth noting that this is not the first time Apple has provided users with such a choice.
Last year, Apple also continued to release security patches for iOS 16 for a period of time after the release of iOS 17. However, after a certain point in time, these patches were only released for devices that could not be upgraded to iOS 17. Since iOS 18 is compatible with all iPhones that can run iOS 17, Apple may stop releasing updates for iOS 17 in a few months.
Offering the ability to select an operating system version is particularly useful for avoiding specific vulnerabilities, as some users rely on apps that may not yet be fully compatible with iOS 18.
In addition, next week Apple will also release a series of operating system updates including iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, tvOS 18, visionOS 2, and macOS Sequoia.
