Apple releases iOS 26.3 with updates that mainly benefit non-Apple devices

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Wandering Monk

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Another iOS 26.3 update is also aimed at interoperability, though it may only apply to iPhones covered by European Union regulations. A feature called “notification forwarding” will send your iPhone’s notifications to third-party accessories, including Google’s Android-based Wear OS smartwatches. Once the setting is enabled, users will be able to decide which apps can forward notifications to the third-party device, similar to how Apple Watch notifications work.

So a feature that has been asked for for years is only available where regulations force Apple’s hand. Yep, deregulation is surely the answer to all of societies problems…

/s
 
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chrisxcr

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Looks like they are twisting the knife for people not wanting iOS 26 by only releasing 18.7.5 for devices not capable of running it. Stay classy Apple...
Do you have a list? I'd like to buy one of those models so I don't have to endure this liquid glass bullshit any longer.
 
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marsilies

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Do you have a list? I'd like to buy one of those models so I don't have to endure this liquid glass bullshit any longer.
I found this list:

https://www.macrumors.com/2025/09/08/iphones-running-ios-18-that-wont-get-ios-26/
While iOS 18 supported a wide range of iPhones, Apple is trimming the list for iOS 26. The devices that will not receive the upgrade this month include the following:
  • iPhone XR
  • iPhone XS
  • iPhone XS Max
If you're wondering about your iPad and iPadOS 26, most models able to run iPadOS 18 support iPadOS 26, with the exception of the 7th-generation low-cost iPad.

It's not clear how much longer iOS 18 will get support for though. If you consider it in terms of devices, and the iPad 7th gen, the last one to get discontinued, was discontinued in 2020, and Apple tends to offer OS support for around 7 years, you're looking at maybe a year or two more of iOS 18 updates for those specific devices.

https://endoflife.date/ios
 
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Looks like they are twisting the knife for people not wanting iOS 26 by only releasing 18.7.5 for devices not capable of running it. Stay classy Apple...
This isn't new, they've been doing this for many years now. They make the new version an optional upgrade, up until an arbitrary point where only phones not supported by the newest version can still get updates for the previous version, while the others are forced to upgrade or become out of date security-wise.

It's certainly questionable, but still better than not updating those older phones at all...
 
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loopyfrogger

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Did they fix the Tahoe system print dialog so that it works with Brother printers, as it did in 26.1 (and every previous Apple OS that I've used)?
Just curious what problems are you having ? I have several Brother printers that I use often and have never seen an issue.
 
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starglider

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I think the approach that regulators are taking with Apple can serve as a model, generally, for how to regulate tech in a successful and popular way. A lot of times, regulators come in with huge, big ideas that end up being hard to implement, take too long to make a difference given how quick tech moves, or do genuinely create barriers to innovation.

The way the EU is treating Apple strikes me as an excellent way to make gradual progress. They're not trying to blow up the entire business or do things that create consumer backlash (cookie banners, anyone?) but they're just forcing Apple to do incremental things like support USB-C, Quick Share/Airdrop, create data portability, etc.

Especially if you're looking to build support for increased regulation, this seems like an excellent approach. Every time my wife and I can share a charging cable, a little part of me is like "thanks, EU!" It makes their next regulatory gambit that much less controversial, because we all remember how these little incremental changes add up.

Ultimately, and ironically, these changes are probably good for Apple in the long run. They're simply making the product better and opening up new avenues of innovation. AT&T tried to kill modems because they saw them as a threat to their telephone monopoly, but over time, they made more money as an ISP than they would have as a phone company. It's basically regulation solving the Innovator's Dilemma.
 
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matthewmspace

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what's the inside line on how long 18.x will be updated?
At least for a few more months. Apple kept updating iOS 17 until November of 2024. However, there weren't any older device cutoffs between 17 and 18, so 18 will probably get updated longer than 17 did. Apple is still releasing minor security updates for 16 occasionally.
 
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WilDeliver

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I wonder whether this update will fix the well-known iOS 26.1 bug that incapacitates iPhone cameras. Seemingly randomly the camera either gets blurry (my problem) or black (noted online). It affects zoom as well as "regular" camera function. Neither work. Dead in the water. Have to reboot to fix. You had that perfect moment of your toddler kissing the dog? Oops, sorry, no can capture. I've spoken with tech support; Apple knows about the issue and "Engineering" is looking into it. If this update doesn't fix it then they're still "looking" - but not through my camera, buddy.
 
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Fred Duck

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MacRumours said:
If you're wondering about your iPad and iPadOS 26, most models able to run iPadOS 18 support iPadOS 26, with the exception of the 7th-generation low-cost iPad.

Ah, the good old iPad G7.

At the time, my main iPad was an A10 Fusion-powered G6. When the G7 was announced, I immediately told everyone not to purchase it. The A10 Fusion-powered G6 was so weak it struggled to smoothly run my music rhythm experiences in 2D mode. The G7 was also A10 Fusion-powered. O_O The major difference was that the G7 had a larger screen than the G6...which I correctly guessed would not improve its performance.

At least Apple made the G8 quite speedy. The final iPad ever produced, the G9, was incrementally faster than the G8 but the speakers are noticeably inferior. Alas.
 
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Awesome!

I've used Mac's at home since the 1st OS X release and glad they are opening things up for "other" devices. Most of my purchases were sniped off eBay or Apple's refurb site so there is that, for desktops and laptops. I use an Android mobile phone and i7 16 GB Chromebook as a daily driver.

Mac's are used for higher storage demand, I/O and mainstream application support (that Linux has never quite met since I started using it in the 1990's). Linux is the best server OS- just not even close to macOS or even winblows as a desktop/laptop OS.
 
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I think the approach that regulators are taking with Apple can serve as a model, generally, for how to regulate tech in a successful and popular way. A lot of times, regulators come in with huge, big ideas that end up being hard to implement, take too long to make a difference given how quick tech moves, or do genuinely create barriers to innovation.

The way the EU is treating Apple strikes me as an excellent way to make gradual progress. They're not trying to blow up the entire business or do things that create consumer backlash (cookie banners, anyone?) but they're just forcing Apple to do incremental things like support USB-C, Quick Share/Airdrop, create data portability, etc.

Especially if you're looking to build support for increased regulation, this seems like an excellent approach. Every time my wife and I can share a charging cable, a little part of me is like "thanks, EU!" It makes their next regulatory gambit that much less controversial, because we all remember how these little incremental changes add up.

Ultimately, and ironically, these changes are probably good for Apple in the long run. They're simply making the product better and opening up new avenues of innovation. AT&T tried to kill modems because they saw them as a threat to their telephone monopoly, but over time, they made more money as an ISP than they would have as a phone company. It's basically regulation solving the Innovator's Dilemma.
Turns out companies are more willing to not fight a regulation if you still allow them to make money and keep costs down instead of doing large amounts of work for free while also penalizing them, and also do the same to their competitors so they maintain their market position. Legal costs vs implementation and market costs. Legal realism is what we have and it’s best that we admit that
 
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raschumacher

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Just curious what problems are you having ? I have several Brother printers that I use often and have never seen an issue.
Starting with 26.2, print jobs go into the queue and promptly disappear. The only workaround I found is to use Brother's iPrint&Scan tool, which requires first converting/saving all docs as pdf. Removing and re-installing the printer either by name or by IP address does not help. Phone support has no clue.
 
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Scuba-Man-1970

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Warning, I got a bunch of thumbs-down for an anti-26 post a couple days ago :(
I found this list:

https://www.macrumors.com/2025/09/08/iphones-running-ios-18-that-wont-get-ios-26/


It's not clear how much longer iOS 18 will get support for though. If you consider it in terms of devices, and the iPad 7th gen, the last one to get discontinued, was discontinued in 2020, and Apple tends to offer OS support for around 7 years, you're looking at maybe a year or two more of iOS 18 updates for those specific devices.

https://endoflife.date/ios
And you got a bunch more today for complaining.
:spicy:
 
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Seems I can’t change my homescreen wallpaper after this update. iPhone 15Pro only shows black. I’ve tried creating a new wallpaper pair. Toggling low power mode. Customize Home Screen directly. Change it from lock screen. Change it from settings. Those shiny moving icon edges are especially distracting now. I have reduce transparency off and have to keep motion effects on because swiping from the bottom middle edge feels completely different and almost unusable for me with the effect off.

I started off with an iPhone SE. Grabbing updates usually granted new features. Always updated day 1 and never had friction. But man, updates from 18 on have felt more like Windows updates. And the long standing keyboard bug has hit me big time. I’m constantly typing and retyping on my devices.
 
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torp

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... oh. To iOS from Android. But what about the poor people that did update to 26? They would benefit from moving to Android from iOS.

I skipped 26 on both mobile and desktop, but i see complaints about flickering and general shit UI everywhere online, and I hear my wife cry that it ruined her phone.

Not to mention that Apple tricked her into upgrading her phone with that undeletable notification on the unlock screen. Apparently she slid up to unlock, but did it slowly enough it was registered as opening the notification...
 
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marsilies

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I've used Mac's at home since the 1st OS X release...
Interesting note, but OS X 10.0 was never the default OS installed on any Mac. Classic Mac OS 9 was the default OS installed on new Macs until January 2002, when Apple switched to using Mac OS X as the default OS on all new Macs at the time starting with the 10.1.2 release.

OS X 10.0 was probably the shortest-lived OS X release, in terms of being succeeded, having been released on March 24, 2001, while its successor OS X 10.1 was released on September 25, 2001, and was a free update for Mac OS X 10.0 users.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_X_10.1
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2002...S-X-the-Default-Operating-System-on-All-Macs/
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2001/09/25First-Major-Upgrade-to-Mac-OS-X-Hits-Stores-This-Weekend/
https://meincmagazine.com/gadgets/2001/10/macosx-10-1/
 
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dwl-sdca

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Starting with 26.2, print jobs go into the queue and promptly disappear. The only workaround I found is to use Brother's iPrint&Scan tool, which requires first converting/saving all docs as pdf. Removing and re-installing the printer either by name or by IP address does not help. Phone support has no clue.
I had this problem and AppleCare identified it as an issue with my printer not waking up from standby mode. Re-initializing the printer solved it.
 
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Interesting note, but OS X 10.0 was never the default OS installed on any Mac. Classic Mac OS 9 was the default OS installed on new Macs until January 2002, when Apple switched to using Mac OS X as the default OS on all new Macs at the time starting with the 10.1.2 release.

OS X 10.0 was probably the shortest-lived OS X release, in terms of being succeeded, having been released on March 24, 2001, while its successor OS X 10.1 was released on September 25, 2001, and was a free update for Mac OS X 10.0 users.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_X_10.1
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2002...S-X-the-Default-Operating-System-on-All-Macs/
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2001/09/25First-Major-Upgrade-to-Mac-OS-X-Hits-Stores-This-Weekend/
https://meincmagazine.com/gadgets/2001/10/macosx-10-1/
I avoided OS 9 and all prior single-tasking OS releases.

Ran Kodiak beta on a G3 Pismo 12" initially then installed the OS X official release.
 
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marsilies

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I avoided OS 9 and all prior single-tasking OS releases.

Ran Kodiak beta on a G3 Pismo 12" initially then installed the OS X official release.
So, just to be clear, you purchased a PowerBook G3 Prismo model, with a 14.1" screen, some time after September 13, 2000, which came with Mac OS 9 pre-installed, and bought the Mac OS X Beta at the same time, and immediately installed it?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerBook_G3#PowerBook_G3_FireWire_(Pismo)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_X_Public_Beta
https://lowendmac.com/2014/low-end-macs-compleat-guide-to-the-pismo-powerbook/
 
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