Apple might release iOS 26.2.1 any day now with bug fixes, but the next iPhone update packing new features will be iOS 26.3. Here’s the expected iOS 26.3 release date.
iOS 26.3 launch expected in late January
When it comes to software and certain hardware launches, Apple typically follows fairly predictable patterns.
Most new software releases arrive with a cadence that varies little from year to year.
So when considering the launch date for iOS 26.3, all we have to do is look at Apple’s last few years of history.
Here are release dates for the last several iOS x.3 updates:
- iOS 18.3: Monday, January 27
- iOS 17.3: Monday, January 22
- iOS 16.3: Monday, January 23
Each launch date is very close together, with only slight fluctuation in the exact day. But if you look more closely at the calendar, they all follow the exact same pattern.
Each of the last three x.3 launches happened exactly one week after Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This year, that will be January 26.
If Apple follows this established pattern, iOS 26.3 will launch in late January.
Monday, January 26 is the most likely launch date, but it could always slip to a day later that week or early the following week instead.
If you want to try out iOS 26.3 sooner, you can join Apple’s public beta program for early access.
New features and changes in iOS 26.3 so far
Typically, Apple’s x.3 updates are lighter on new features and changes, and that’s true so far with iOS 26.3.
After the first couple betas, there are only a handful of updates, including:
- Wallpaper changes
- Android transfer option
- Notification forwarding for EU users
- More EU compliance-related changes
In the iPhone’s wallpaper screen, iOS 26.3 splits Weather into its own dedicated section, separate from Astronomy. It also adds a couple new Weather options to the gallery.
Android transfer is a new setting birthed out of an Apple-Google collaboration. It makes it easier to transfer from an iPhone to an Android device. Google is simultaneously launching a similar feature for users switching to iPhone.
Finally, if you live in the EU, you’ll be able to set up notification forwarding for non-Apple Watch wearables. One of the Apple Watch’s best features is its ability to receive all your iPhone’s notifications. And soon, in the EU, that ability will extend to third-party smartwatches and wearables.
It’s likely that the public launch will bring some additional changes, such as a new Black Unity wallpaper and perhaps end-to-end encryption for RCS messaging.
Have you been using iOS 26.3 in beta? If so, how has it been running for you? Let us know in the comments.
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