Updated September 26 with more details of iOS 18 and the small and initially mysterious update, plus commentary on the touchscreen issues some users have reported.
Apple has just released the iPhone 16 series. And now, just three days after the phones have gone on sale, it’s already issued an update for all four models, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Here’s what we know. First of all, it’s important to note that both versions of the software are valid and effective and Apple’s detailed list of all the security changes that have been introduced in iOS 18 has not changed since the initial software release which is dated Sept. 16.
The new iPhone 16 handsets have already been updated.
This seems to confirm that the software is almost entirely the same, and that the very first iPhone 16 series phones which had been loaded with software in readiness to be shipped out for sale on September 20, had the earlier build which was superseded by the Sept. 16 build.
As mentioned below, Apple had taken the pressure off the very early adopters by not forcing them to update their iOS version as soon as they unwrapped their shiny new iPhone.
What’s also clear is that the update is nothing to do with the touchscreen issues some users have experienced since updating to iOS 18. You can read more about these problems here, but essentially some users reported that when they were pressing on one part of the display, the rest of the screen won’t respond.
How do I know this? Because some of the people experiencing this were not using iPhone 16 series handsets and this update is only for that relatively small constituency of people who have the latest models. Also, those reports of problems have not gone away for the iPhone 16 users who’ve committed to the later build.
Altogether, it’s been a puzzling experience. Plenty of iPhone users have been chipping in with puzzlement that an update was appearing with a notification that it was about to be installed, but without a new release number. There were also suggestions and theories (including the idea that it was a malicious update from a bad actor—it’s not that).
Nor is it a patch release that’s not showing up as iOS 18.0.1 because of a bug. That’s not it either. One Reddit user described it like this: “As the initial batch of iPhone 16s shipped before 18.0.0 was released they had a special built installed at the factory. The build number is 22A3351, iOS 18.0.0 for general release has a build number of 22A3354. Since it’s higher your iPhone 16 sees this as an update.”
I think that’s a pretty good take on the situation. And what’s interesting is that the new build didn’t come on release day. In the past, Apple has sent out an update right at the same time as the iPhones were arriving in people’s hands, calling it a day-one update. That previously caused issues with some phones so Apple has wisely avoided the problem with better timing this year.
Which iPhones Can Run The New iOS Release?
It’s just four: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. If you have a different iPhone, you won’t be affected.
It’s A Small Update
So small that it doesn’t take up much space and it’s not deserving of a new release number like iOS 18.0.1, for instance. No, this is still iOS 18. But while the software that came pre-loaded on the iPhones was iOS 18.0 with build number 22A3351, the new update is iOS 18.0 with a build number just fractionally higher: 22A3354.
Apple’s notes read: “This update provides important bug fixes and security updates for iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.”
It’s a smallish update, weighing 466.4MB on my iPhone 16 Pro, which downloaded in around 13 minutes.
The notes go on, “For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: support.apple.com/100100.”
As is common with these releases, there are no new details of security issues on the site, beyond those specified in the original iOS 18 release. This is usual, as Apple likes the updates to be downloaded and installed before revealing its hand—after all, if Apple describes the issues before many people have been able to put the update on their phones, it leaves some users potentially vulnerable.
Although there have been substantial pre-orders and sales of the new iPhones, perhaps signalling a new super-cycle, the numbers of iPhones in customers’ hands is still relatively small. And Apple will be working to update its stock to the latest release number now.
There have been some reports of users experiencing touch issues, with taps being missed, but while these were initially thought to apply only to iPhone 16 models, it now seems earlier models have been impacted, too. It’s not known if the numbers are significant or if this update has addressed it, though the notes don’t mention it.
More as we have it.