Whether or not you pre-ordered your new iPhone final week otherwise you’re grabbing it from a neighborhood Apple Retailer, will probably be an thrilling day when your shiny new iPhone 17, iPhone Air, or iPhone 17 Professional mannequin lands in your palms. Nevertheless, earlier than you leap proper in and start setting it up, you must put aside a while, because it appears there’s a day-one replace already ready for it.
Whereas Apple launched iOS 26 to the general public on Monday, there’s a barely newer construct that’s already pending for the 2025 iPhone fashions. What’s even trickier about that is that, in contrast to earlier years, Apple isn’t giving this a unique model quantity; it’s not iOS 26.0.1 (though there’s proof that’s coming), however merely a more recent model of iOS 26.0.
Particularly, the construct that launched earlier this week and is offered to all iPhone 11 and later fashions is recognized as construct 23A341. Nevertheless, the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Professional, and iPhone 17 Professional Max reportedly have a more recent construct 23A345 ready for them.
Apple has been juggling construct numbers greater than traditional this yr. The discharge candidate (RC) that went out to builders and public beta testers after Apple’s “Awe Dropping” occasion final week was construct 23A340. Whereas not unprecedented, it’s comparatively unusual for a public launch to vary from the RC construct, as that’s your entire level of a launch candidate.
Nevertheless, the brand new iPhones include a fair older construct of iOS 26 out of the field. In accordance with a number of stories, they’re delivery with construct 2A330. That is what’s known as the “RTM” or “Launch to Manufacturing” construct, that means it’s what’s being put in throughout the manufacturing course of. Since Apple doesn’t use the identical numbering system for its beta and RTM/RC builds, it’s onerous to inform the place this matches in, however it could have predated even the final developer beta that was despatched out at the start of September.
A lot of the iPhone 17 and Air fashions arriving in prospects’ palms as we speak can have left Apple’s factories properly over every week in the past, so the newest construct launched final week wouldn’t have been prepared earlier than they had been put into their bins. Whereas Apple has developed a method to wirelessly replace iPhones within the field, these machines are sometimes utilized in Apple Retail Shops, and it’s unclear in the event that they’ve been scaled to deal with the tens of millions of iPhones being shipped out of China and India over the previous two weeks.
Both method, these with early assessment models have confirmed that the newest construct is not on their iPhones, which suggests it’s virtually definitely not on the one that you just’re unpacking as we speak. Those self same opinions have additionally seen some odd issues, which can be why Apple has a brand new construct able to exit of the gate.
As an illustration, whereas testing the brand new fashions, Henry Casey noticed at CNN Underscored that “one out of each 10 or so pictures taken on the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Professional Max have small blacked-out parts.” An Apple spokesperson confirmed that this was “one thing that may occur in very uncommon instances when an LED mild show is extraordinarily shiny and shining immediately into the digicam,” and famous {that a} repair is on the way in which in an upcoming software program replace.
Apple didn’t provide a timeline, however we’re hoping this has already been addressed within the new 23A345 construct, or many new iPhone customers may very well be in for a disappointing digicam expertise whereas ready for iOS 26.0.1 to reach. It’s definitely probably the most pressing challenge we all know of proper now. If there are every other fixes on this new construct, Apple isn’t speaking about them, however both method, it’s a good suggestion to verify your iPhone is updated.
Learn how to Replace Your New iPhone
The excellent news is that you just hopefully received’t have to leap by any hoops to get this replace put in. Apple has enhanced the iPhone setup course of over the previous few years to examine for updates and set up them proper on the outset, earlier than you switch any information and set your iPhone up. In that case, you simply have to comply with the directions and provides it some further time.
Nevertheless, if for some purpose you don’t see a immediate for this, don’t assume that your iPhone is updated, because it’s not. In that case, we suggest organising your new iPhone as model new:
- Undergo the setup course of, however don’t switch any information out of your outdated cellphone. You may as well transfer rapidly by every other questions, as you’ll be wiping the iPhone once more and beginning over after it’s up to date, so there’s no have to take time to arrange Face ID or fear about coaching Siri on your voice.
- As soon as that’s full and also you’re on the Residence Display screen, open the Settings app and choose Basic and Software program Replace to examine for brand spanking new updates such as you usually would. Set up something proven right here.
- After it’s completed updating to the newest construct, erase it by opening the Settings app once more and deciding on Basic > Switch or Reset iPhone > Erase all Content material and Settings, and following the directions.
Your iPhone shall be erased and returned to its preliminary setup state, however with the newest construct of iOS 26. You may then arrange the iPhone as you usually would, together with transferring information over out of your outdated iPhone.