The update is available for iPhone XS and later models.
Apple released the iOS 18 update in September
Photo Credit: Apple
Apple on Monday rolled out the iOS 18.6 update for iPhone. While the company's focus remains on delivering new features in iOS 26, the latest stable update also carries a handful of changes, especially for iPhone users in the EU. There is a new user experience when installing alternative app marketplaces from the web, apps from the web, or the developer's own apps. The iOS 18.6 update also has fixes for bugs reported in previous firmware iterations.
According to Apple's release notes, several user experiences have been updated in iOS 18.6. It will be displayed when installing an alternative app marketplace from a developer's website. The updated experience also applies to instances of installing an app from a developer's website.
Further, the Cupertino-based tech giant will roll out an API later this year which allows developers to commence download of alternatively distributed apps they publish from within their already-published app.
Updated user experience in iOS 18.6
Photo Credit: Apple
There will be a slight change to subsequent installs of the app from the same developer via the web, as per Apple.
In addition to the updated user experience, the iOS 18.6 update carries important bug fixes and security updates. Among them is a fix for an issue in the Photos app which resulted in memory movies from being shared.
A handful of vulnerabilities in the WebKit have been patched too. If left unchecked, they may have caused address bar spoofing when visiting a malicious website and disclosed sensitive user information when processing maliciously crafted web content. Additionally, it could have also led to unexpected Safari crash, denial-of-service, internal states of the app disclosed, or memory corruption.
Thus, users with compatible iPhone models are urged to iOS 18.6 immediately. To install the update on your iPhone, open the Settings app and tap on General > Software Update > Install Now. The update is available for iPhone XS and later handsets.
Apple is expected to sunset the development of future iterations of the iOS 18 firmware, with iOS 26 on track for a September release alongside the upcoming iPhone 17 series.
For details of the latest launches and news from Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, OnePlus, Oppo and other companies at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, visit our MWC 2025 hub.