iPhone and iPad stuck on 18.7.1, not seeing minor updates

thenas wrote:

Thank you! This reply helps.

I will add, though, that elsewhere in the Apple Community contributors have made a point of saying that Apple is *not* forcing people to upgrade to 26. Considering the context you provided, it sure seems like Apple is forcefully encouraging (but not forcing!) me to upgrade to 26.

Having said that, maybe I'm jumping to conclusions: Is this normal practice? Typically I upgrade to the new OS within by x.1 or x.2, so I could simply be unaware that Apple does this every major update cycle.

Every year, when the new iOS is rolled out, users don't have to update immediately, but eventually, every year, Apple stops offering updates on the previous version to devices which are capable of running the new version. This is normal and expected.

You are not being forced to update. But then by not updating, you accept that you won't be getting the latest security updates available to keep you and your devices safe.

Yes, it is normal.

Apple stopped making point updates available to devices that can run the current iOS and iPadOS 26 version, only offering the current point update of that version to those devices.

thenas wrote:

iPhone and iPad are stuck on 18.7.1 (current version is 18.7.4). Is this normal?

It is now - if they are capable of runnig iOS / iPadOS 26, and you were holding them back from upgrading.

To be clear, on each device in "General" → "Software Update" only iOS/iPadOS 26.2.1 is appearing.

…

My understanding is that 18.7.4 is only for very specific devices. However, 18.7.3 and 18.7.2 never appeared as options when they were released.

iOS 18.7.4 would likely be of interest to anyone who wants to remain on iOS 18. It's the only release of iOS 18 that has an updated security certificate so that iMessages and FaceTime will work after next January.

However, Apple is deliberately withholding it from any phone that is capable of upgrading to iOS 26.*. The same as they did with iOS 18.7.3. It was possible to grab iOS 18.7.2 for a while (I did), but you had to do it before iOS 18.7.3 came out, and Apple pulled the plug on any and all iOS 18 updates for phones capable of running iOS 26.

That means that, among iPhones, only the XR, XS, and XS Max received iOS 18.7.3 and 18.7.4. Those are the only three models that can update to iOS 18, but not past it.

thenas wrote:

Having said that, maybe I'm jumping to conclusions: Is this normal practice? Typically I upgrade to the new OS within by x.1 or x.2, so I could simply be unaware that Apple does this every major update cycle.

No, it's a recent development. Previously Apple allowed continued updates of lower iOS versions on devices that supported newer versions. Don't remember this being limited before like this.

With the release of iOS / iPadOS 26, Apple changed this, around the release of iOS 18.7.2 or so and stopped offering the subsequent point updates for lower iOS versions to devices capable of iOS / iPad OS 26.

You don't have to update to iOS 26 if you don't want to, but Apple is not obligated to keep offering lower point updates to you if you don't upgrade.

Phil0124 wrote:

thenas wrote:

Having said that, maybe I'm jumping to conclusions: Is this normal practice? Typically I upgrade to the new OS within by x.1 or x.2, so I could simply be unaware that Apple does this every major update cycle.

No, it's a recent development. Previously Apple allowed continued updates of lower iOS versions on devices that supported newer versions. Don't remember this being limited before like this.

With the release of iOS / iPadOS 26, Apple changed this, around the release of iOS 18.7.2 or so and stopped offering the subsequent point updates for lower iOS versions to devices capable of iOS / iPad OS 26.

You don't have to update to iOS 26 if you don't want to, but Apple is not obligated to keep offering lower point updates to you if you don't upgrade.

My memory is different and last year, it was exactly the same. After a few months of iOS 17 release, Apple stopped offering point updates to iOS 16 for devices capable of running iOS 17. I think they did the same with iOS 15, when iOS 16 came out.