Updated Sept. 29 with full details of what is in the new iPhone update.
Apple released the all-new software for the iPhone, iOS 26, on Sept. 15. The first update has just landed. Here’s what’s in store when you install it. It’s a quick turnaround for an update that has several key bug fixes.
As soon as the software went live, there were two quick updates in a matter of three days — though these were initially only seen by press reviewers with iPhone 17 Pro or Pro Max handsets as no earlier iPhones were affected. Customers who bought the new phones on launch date, Friday, Sept. 19, found that their handsets needed day-one updates. The build number changed but the overall name remained iOS 26.
Which iPhones Can Run iOS 26.0.1?
The new iOS 26.0.1 software is compatible with all iPhones from 2019 onwards. That means the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max are all covered by this new update, as well as all iPhones since, including the iPhone SE in both its second- and third-generation models. And all members of the iPhone 16 series are included, right up to the iPhone 16e. Finally, the new iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air are covered — and several of the updates are just for the newest handsets.
How To Get It
Here’s how you can upgrade: open the iPhone Settings app, then choose General, followed by Software Update. Next, click on Download and Install, and it’ll be on your phone shortly. On my iPhone 17 Pro Max, it weighs 989MB.
iOS 26.01 — What’s In The Release
As predicted, this update is about fixes and security updates. As you’ll read below, a bug had been found where Wi-Fi and Bluetooth would occasionally disconnect. This only applied to the latest releases: iPhone 17 series and iPhone Air.
What Apple describes as “a small number of users” found they were unable to connect to a mobile network once they’d updated to iOS 26. The Camera issue mentioned below, has been fixed so “unexpected artefacts” in some images should no longer appear.
One update that hadn’t been widely predicted was that app icons could appear blank after a custom tint had been added. An issue with VoiceOver being disabled in iOS 26 has also been addressed.
As to how we got to this place, here’s a history of when it was thought iOS 26.0.1 was on its way.
On Saturday, Sept. 27, 9to5Mac updated its original report with more details. The first report highlighted an anonymous private account on X that “regularly shares accurate information about upcoming Apple software updates,” as it put it.
Then, it said the update is closer: “We’re still waiting on Apple to release iOS 26.0.1 to everyone, but it seems very close. An anonymous account on X indicates the update will feature the build number 23A355. I’d expect the update to be released in the next several days,” Chance Miller commented.
As predicted, that meant that the update arrived on Monday, Sept. 29.
The site also comments on what might be in the update: “There have also been recent reports of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and CarPlay problems for iPhone 17 users. Hopefully, iOS 26.0.1 will fix those problems,” Miller added.
Further information has come from Joe Rossignol at MacRumors. Rossignol’s intel additionally comes from seeing evidence of iOS 26.0.1 in its visitors logs in recent days, as Apple’s software engineers test the update internally,” he said.
He reported that initial reports suggested a build number of 23A350 (the current build is 23A345) but it now looks like it will be 23A355. What does this mean, you might ask? “This suggests that the software update will include more bug fixes or changes than initially planned,” Rossignol said.
The MacRumors report specified several issues that could be addressed. There’s the camera-related bug mentioned above, plus “a bug causing Wi-Fi to briefly disconnect and reconnect on the iPhone Air, iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max — this issue also causes wireless CarPlay to disconnect in vehicles,” MacRumors said.
There’s also a bug which has affected search in the Calendar app and another that has prevented some users from downloading Apple Intelligence models on the latest iPhones.
