Is there really another iOS 17 update on the way? Apparently so. Although it had been very widely thought that the current iOS 17.6 version would be the absolutely final one before the general release of iOS 18, expected in September, it looks like a smaller update will be downloadable soon. Because this was largely unexpected, it is a bit of a puzzle. As for how soon it will arrive and what it’ll do, read on.
iOS 17.6.1 is coming soon.
Apple iOS 17.6 was released on Monday, July 29, and included a couple of new features and almost three dozen bug fixes. You can read full details of what is in iOS 17.6 here and whether or not you should upgrade to it, complete with final verdict, here.
But you needn’t move on from iOS 17 just yet, as it’s now come to light that the next update, iOS 17.6.1 is currently in development. Although it was several months between iOS 17.5.1 and iOS 17.6, it looks like the next update is on its way, according to the estimable Joe Rossignol at MacRumors.
It’s claimed that Apple’s software development teams are hard at it, working simultaneously on iOS 18 developer and public betas, iOS 18.1 developer beta and iOS 17.6.1 for widespread release soon.
Rossignol got the information from a leaker and said, “The leaker has a private account, so we are not identifying it or linking to it, but they have proven to be a consistently accurate source for upcoming iOS updates.” The publication also went on to say it had independently confirmed that iOS 17.6.1 is being internally tested at Apple now.
The leaker revealed only one detail about the update, that it has the build number 21G93. Not the snappiest of details and tricky to parse into hard data that reveals what the release might hold.
You can read my fellow Forbes contributor Kate O’Flaherty’s opinion as to what might be in it here, but my thought, broadly in line with hers, is that it will be light on new features and heavy on fixes.
After all, there were only two new features in iOS 17.6 and one of those was a regional release. But you never know—we’ll have to wait until the release date to find out.
Release Date
Exactly when the new software will land is what we’re here to talk about and I believe, as Rossignol does, that it will be in the first half of this month, though I’d say the following week could also be possible.
That means Tuesday, August 13, is favorite, but Tuesday, August 20, is also likely. Tuesday is Apple’s favorite day of the week for releases, though Monday, August 19, is also a possibility. Stay tuned.