When Apple stops supporting older iPhones and iPads with the latest version of iOS or iPadOS, it usually isn’t the end of the line—Apple keeps releasing new security-only patches for those devices for another year or two, keeping them usable while their hardware is still reasonably capable.

Apple has moved on to its third round of developer betas for iOS 26.3, iPadOS 26.3, watchOS 26.3, tvOS 26.3, visionOS 26.3, and macOS Tahoe 26.3.

Based on reporting from sources including Bloomberg and The Information, Apple has two clear focuses for iOS 27: Integrating new AI features throughout the operating system. Fixing bugs, improving performance, and boosting stability.

Macworld Last year was a significant one for Apple’s operating systems. Across the board, from the iPhone and iPad to the Mac and Vision Pro, platforms were standardized in both version number and look.

The introduction of a new AirTag has led Apple to issue updates for multiple older versions of iOS and iPadOS, all to maximize support for the tracking device.

OS 26 adoption is higher than thought earlier. Find out how Apple's tracking change completely threw off the count.

That’s not as cataclysmic a dropoff as Statcounter’s data suggests, even before considering other mitigating factors—iOS 26 dropped support for 2018’s iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR, for example, while iOS 18 ran on every iPhone that could run iOS 17.

Not everyone was thrilled about Liquid Glass when iOS 26.2 launched in 2025, but iOS 26.2 has finally addressed most of the complaints.

Learn about key Android vs iOS differences in this smartphone OS comparison. Understand how each system performs in daily use, customization, security, and user experience.

OS 26 is showing unusually slow adoption among iPhone users months after release, according to third-party analytics. Usage data published by StatCounter (via Cult of Mac) for January 2026 indicates that only around 15 to 16% of active iPhones worldwide are running any version of iOS 26.