apple pushes deceptive 'update' forcing you to upgrade to 26!

No one, not even Apple or the Apple Store can downgrade iOS. They won’t replace for an acceptable software option. Even if they did replace it’d be on iOS 26 at this point, too.

Just a short while and iOS 27 will be available.

downgrading is not supported. Nor is replacing a device purchased more than two weeks ago. best get used to the new iOS.

It wasn’t that long ago that Apple pulled the ability to update to iOS 18 if your phone was capable of running iOS 26. Updating to iOS 26 was the only way for phones capable of running it to get the patch needed for iMessages and FaceTime to keep working after next January.

Then they apparently started offering iOS 18 updates again, but only after I had updated my iPhone to iOS 26.

If Apple meant to force you onto iOS 26, why wouldn’t they have simply removed any “Also Available” screen, the way they did before? This sounds more like a glitch than an intent to deceive - else why indicate that the “Also Available” is “Update to iOS 26”?

KiltedTim wrote:

There was no 'deception' on Apple's part.

My Mac (15.7.7) is showing two updates at the moment. At the top of the update page in settings is 26.6 and lower down the page is "Other Update" 15.7.8. If I click on the info button next to the 15.7.8 update it pops up details of what's included in 15.78 with an "Upgrade Now" button at the bottom but at the top of the box it has ticked 26.6, not 15.7.8. Classic bait and switch.

[Edited by Moderator]

Zurarczurx wrote:

My Mac (15.7.7) is showing two updates at the moment. At the top of the update page in settings is 26.6 and lower down the page is "Other Update" 15.7.8. If I click on the info button next to the 15.7.8 update it pops up details of what's included in 15.78 with an "Upgrade Now" button at the bottom but at the top of the box it has ticked 26.6, not 15.7.8.

I noticed that. It's also trivial to see that the "26.6" box is ticked, untick it, and put a tick mark next to "15.7.8" before you press either of the "Update" buttons.

There was no 'deception' on Apple's part.

What there was was a failure to pay attention on your part.

Kilgore-Trout wrote:

Just curious. If you were “tricked” into updating to 26.6, how did you get a screen shot of the 18.7.8 update screen at the same time?

The OP is apparently claiming that the "Also Available / Upgrade to iOS 26" control led to the iOS 18.7.8 screen. But the message by the "Also Available" said that the OP was already running iOS 18.7.8. Why would an iPhone offer to update to iOS 18.7.8 if it was already running iOS 18.7.8?

I had the same situation. I saw an update available for iOS 18 and thought I should install it. After the update, I found that iOS 26 had been installed on my iPhone 15.

At this point, the phone has basically become something I can no longer use. It’s not a big deal — Apple can afford to lose one customer.

Shternoa wrote:

At this point, the phone has basically become something I can no longer use.

That seems a bit excessive. I'm running iOS 26 on an iPhone 12 mini. That iPhone 12 mini is several years older than your iPhone 15, and has less RAM (4 GB vs. 6 GB), but is still quite usable.

It does look like I will probably have to replace my battery for the second time at around the end of this year.

Just curious. If you were “tricked” into updating to 26.6, how did you get a screen shot of the 18.7.8 update screen at the same time?

Maybe you just need to pay attention to what you're doing.