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It’s only a matter of weeks before Apple releases iOS 27 for the iPhone (read this for when it’s expected and this for when the next iPhone keynote will be announced) but more than two dozen fixes from that software have arrived now with iOS 26.6.1 — an indication that the changes on board are too urgent to be left until September. Here’s what’s in the release and why it’s important.

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Which iPhones Can Run iOS 26.6.1?

This update is like most in the iOS 26 cycle, that is, it is for all iPhones from 2019 onwards. That means the iPhone 11 series and later. The second-generation and third-generation iPhone SE handsets are included. All members of the iPhone 17 series, including the latest release, iPhone 17e, plus iPhone Air, are also supported.

How To Download And Install iOS 26.6.1

Go to the Settings app on the iPhone and choose General, followed by Software Update. Here you’ll find Download and Install, and it’ll be downloaded promptly. It’s a small update, 704MB on my iPhone 17 Pro Max, but the size of the update will depend on how long ago you previously updated the phone.

If your iPhone currently runs iOS 26.5, say, or even iOS 18, your download will be even bigger — and take longer. For my iPhone, the time from requesting the download to finishing installation was 15 minutes. If you have an earlier phone which can run iOS 18 but not iOS 26 (this applies to the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR), then a different release is applicable. More on that below.

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iOS 26.6.1 — What’s In The Release

Oh, there’s a lot, and it’s all security-related. The fact that Apple is making it available now ties into what the company has said about “pushing forward a series of software updates… making them available earlier than in previous cycles in response to AI-driven security concerns,” as Reuters reported in July.

In total, there are 29 issues which are addressed in the update, most of them, 21 in all, related to WebKit, the beating heart of Safari on the iPhone.

Some of these could cause memory corruption and many more could cause unexpected Safari crashes, for instance. The details were revealed by Apple in a support document.

There’s also an audio issue which could leak sensitive user information, and three Kernel threats which could lead to unexpected system termination or memory corruptions. In short, there’s a lot in iOS 26.6.1, and it’s all related to urgent fixes.

Among the 29 fixes is one for an problem with ImageIO, the Apple framework that handles image processing across iPhones, iPads and Macs. It could let a malicious image trigger code execution. “Treat that as a real patch-now problem, even without proof of active attacks. Process the wrong image, and Apple's CVE description says the flaw can lead to arbitrary code execution,” says Dave Barr at Startup Fortune.

While Apple has not said publicly that the bug has been exploited in the real world, it’s still seen as serious and to need urgent fixing.

Zeera Wireless has asked whether there’s any need to install this relatively small update when iOS 27 is just around the corner — the general release will come on or around Monday, Sept. 14, so less than a month away. Read this for full details of when to expect the release.

The short answer is yes. Not least because the timing points to Apple’s desire to see the fixes installed now rather than next month. And anyway, many users hold off installing the first release in a new cycle to allow it to bed in. That said, first reactions to the iOS 27 developer and public betas have routinely said how stable it is.

“Once security details have been published and a patch is available, there is little practical benefit to staying on the older version if your device supports the update,” Zeera Wireless suggested.

iOS 18.7.10 For Older iPhones

Earlier in the year, Apple made an iOS 18 update available to newer iPhones which had not been updated to iOS 26, but this has proved to be the exception, not the rule.

So, the arrival of iOS 18.7.10 at the same time as iOS 26.6.1 is, unsurprisingly, also only available for the three phones which can run iOS 18 but not iOS 26. As mentioned above, these are iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR. The range of fixes in this update is much wider, over 120 issues addressed, by my count.

The good news is that Apple is eager to ensure that older phones like these (all three were first released almost eight years ago, in September 2018), remain safe from attacks.

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