Apple’s latest mobile operating systems will be available to download on Sept. 18, Apple announced today at its iPhone 15 event, as will the next version of watchOS.
Last year, Apple strayed from its usual release schedule and pushed the iPadOS launch to October alongside macOS Ventura, in part due to issues with Stage Manager. This year, it returns to September and launches with iOS 17. MacOS Sonoma is expected on Sept. 26.
Apple’s iOS 17 will work on iPhone XR and above. When it rolls out, navigate to Settings > General > Software Update > Download and Install.
The iPadOS 17 update is compatible with the 10.5- and 11-inch iPad Pro, as well as the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2nd gen and up), plus the iPad Air (3rd generation and up), iPad (6th generation and up), and iPad mini (5th generation and up). Download it from Settings > General > Software Update, too.
As we noted in our initial hands on with the iOS 17 beta, this is “an iterative update that polishes and enhances many of the features introduced in iOS 16 and earlier, but doesn’t change much of your devices’ core functionality.” Many of the same features are also coming to iPadOS 17.
Of note are promised improvements to autocorrect (RIP ducking?) as well as AirDrop for easier contact information sharing. Live Voicemail, meanwhile, displays a real-time transcription of a voice message on your iPhone screen as someone is leaving it; you decide to pick up or not. You can also leave video voicemail on FaceTime.
If your desk or bedside table is crowded with smart devices, StandBy turns your phone into a glanceable display in landscape mode. There's also the option to create a Contact Poster that takes over the screen when you call someone with a customized photo and font.
Some new features aren’t expected until later this year, like the Journal app on iOS 17, plus Apple Music playlist collaboration, AirPlay in hotel rooms, and the ability to finish AirDrop transfers after you walk away on both mobile OSes.
For those with an Apple Watch, meanwhile, watchOS 10 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 4 and up. It delivers a SmartStack of widgets, navigational changes, fresh watch faces, new mental health and vision health tools, additional cycling and compass features, and more. Check out our hands on with the beta from July.
If Apple TV is your media-streaming device of choice, meanwhile, tvOS 17 adds a few bells and whistles, like FaceTime on the Apple TV 4K and a new Control Center on Apple TV. It's unclear if this is also coming out on Sept. 18, but as MacRumors notes, Apple seeded the release candidate to developers today.