Apple has shipped 25 separate security releases since May 11, 2026, according to its own security releases index, spanning ten distinct dates across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Safari, tvOS, watchOS, visionOS and even a Beats firmware update. The most recent entry, posted the day before Apple’s September 9 product event, carries no CVE numbers at all.
None of that is a countdown or a warning. It is simply what Apple’s own index, published at support.apple.com/en-us/100100, records when it is read straight through and grouped by date. The pattern that falls out is a cadence, not a crisis.
Key facts from Apple’s security index
| Item | What Apple’s index shows |
|---|---|
| Source | Apple security releases index, support.apple.com/en-us/100100 |
| Window covered | May 11, 2026 to September 8, 2026 |
| Releases logged | 25 |
| Distinct release dates | 10 |
| Platforms appearing | iOS/iPadOS, macOS Tahoe, macOS Sequoia, macOS Sonoma, Safari, tvOS, watchOS, visionOS, Beats firmware |
| Busiest single date | July 27, 2026, with nine releases listed |
| Most recent entry | iOS 26.6.2 / iPadOS 26.6.2, September 8, 2026, no published CVE entries |
Every release date since May, grouped as Apple lists them
Apple’s index does not group by date; it lists one row per release. Grouping those rows by the date printed next to them gives this reading of the same information.
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| Date | Releases Apple listed |
|---|---|
| Sep 8, 2026 | iOS 26.6.2, iPadOS 26.6.2 |
| Aug 18, 2026 | Safari 26.6.1 |
| Aug 17, 2026 | iOS 26.6.1, iPadOS 26.6.1, iOS 18.7.10, iPadOS 18.7.10, macOS Tahoe 26.6.2, visionOS 26.6.1 |
| Aug 6, 2026 | macOS Tahoe 26.6.1, macOS Sequoia 15.7.9, macOS Sonoma 14.8.9 |
| Jul 27, 2026 | iOS 26.6, iPadOS 26.6, macOS Tahoe 26.6, macOS Sequoia 15.7.8, macOS Sonoma 14.8.8, tvOS 26.6, watchOS 26.6, visionOS 26.6, Safari 26.6 |
| Jun 29, 2026 | iOS 26.5.2, iPadOS 26.5.2, macOS Tahoe 26.5.2, Safari 26.5.2 |
| Jun 16, 2026 | Beats Firmware Update 1B211 (Beats Studio Buds) |
| Jun 1, 2026 | iOS 26.5.1, macOS Tahoe 26.5.1 |
| May 13, 2026 | Safari 26.5 |
| May 11, 2026 | iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5 |
How often Apple actually ships a security update
Reading the ten dates in order, Apple posted security releases roughly every two to four weeks over the summer, with two exceptions: a single Beats firmware update on June 16 with nothing else attached to it, and a run of six platforms all dated July 27. Apple’s index gives no explanation for why some dates carry one release and others carry nine; it simply lists what shipped and when.
The current iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo both ship with iOS 27, which has not yet appeared as a row on this index. Everything in the table above predates iOS 27 and applies to the iOS 26.x line and earlier.
What changes from one release to the next
- Some releases are point updates with a handful of fixes; others, like the July 27 cluster, cover most of Apple’s active platforms in one day.
- A release can carry zero CVE entries, as iOS 26.6.2 does, or dozens, as iOS 26.6.1 does with 29.
- Not every release is software. The June 16 entry is a firmware update for Beats Studio Buds, listed on the same index as iOS and macOS.
- Older-device updates appear on the same list as current ones. iOS 18.7.10, for iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and iPad 7th generation, is dated the same day as iOS 26.6.1.
Where this calendar sits against other Apple dates this month
Apple’s own Apple Watch Series 12 press materials describe a hardware-isolated Secure Exclave in the new S11 chip, used for on-device audio processing; that is a hardware security feature Apple has published, separate from the software updates on the index above. Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 reach stores September 18, and watchOS 26.6 is already on the index from July 27.
What Apple has not said
Apple has not published a reason for the gap between a nine-release day and a single-item day, and it has not published a forward calendar of when the next security release will land. It has also not linked the September 8 release, iOS 26.6.2, to a support article, because the index lists none for it.
As of Saturday, September 12, 2026, the next scheduled entry on Apple’s software calendar is iOS 27, arriving Monday, September 14; whether that release adds a new row to the security index is something only Apple’s own page can confirm once it happens.
