Update your iPhone: Apple releases iOS 18.5 with critical fixes

How to update your iPhone to iOS 18.5

iPhone users can install iOS 18.5 by going to the "Settings" app, then selecting "General" and tapping "Software Update." If it doesn’t appear immediately, try again later—rolling out the update can take several hours.

The build number of the new version is 22F76, slightly higher than the release candidate (RC) of iOS 18.5, which had the number 22F75. So, if you were using the beta version, you'll also receive an update today.

What's new in iOS 18.5

According to Apple's official release notes, iOS 18.5 includes the following new features and fixes:

• New Pride Harmony wallpapers
• Parental notification for entering a Screen Time passcode on children's devices
• "Buy with iPhone" feature when purchasing content in the Apple TV app on third-party devices
• Fixed a black screen display issue in the Apple Vision Pro app
• Support for satellite carrier features on all iPhone 13 models

Regarding the Pride Harmony wallpapers, Apple explains:
"Wallpapers for iPhone and iPad include colors that shift position depending on how the user moves, locks, or unlocks the device."
These wallpapers match a new Pride Harmony watch face for Apple Watch, available in watchOS 10.5.

Changes in the Mail app

In addition to the official updates, iOS 18.5 includes other improvements not mentioned in the release notes. Notably, changes have been made to the design of the Mail app, which was first updated with iOS 18.2 last fall.

There is now a new toggle to quickly turn off contact photos. The "Show Contact Photos" option is now located in the top-right menu (three-dot icon), whereas previously, it required going into device settings.

The category system has also been improved. In iOS 18.5, accessing the "All Mail" view has become easier. Previously, this section was hidden and could only be reached by swiping left through category tabs like "Primary," "Transactions," "Updates," and "Promotions." Now, it has become a full-fledged fifth tab, making it more visible.

The update brings refinements to the new Mail app design (photo: 9to5Mac)

iOS 18.5 fixes over 30 iPhone security vulnerabilities

It's worth noting that, beyond visual and functional upgrades, the update includes significant security enhancements.

Apple has updated its security support website, stating that iOS 18.5 addresses over 30 vulnerabilities affecting components such as Bluetooth, FaceTime, Call History, CoreAudio, AppleJPEG, and others.

Particular attention was given to the new iPhone 16e model—the company's first smartphone equipped with its own modem, called C1. iOS 18.5 fixed a vulnerability in the device's baseband firmware that could have allowed an attacker in a privileged network position to intercept network traffic.

This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it affects a core communication component and could lead to data leakage on insecure networks.

Other security fixes

In addition, the update patches vulnerabilities related to:

• Call logs
• Bluetooth connectivity
• CoreAudio
• Image processing module (AppleJPEG)

According to Apple, there is currently no evidence that any of these vulnerabilities were exploited in real-world attacks.

A full list of fixed vulnerabilities and technical details can be found on Apple's official security website.

Earlier, we wrote which iPhone models will support iOS 19.