The software Apple releases on Monday has existed since Tuesday. Apple issued the iOS 27.0 release candidate, build 24A435, to developers on September 9, the same afternoon it announced the iPhone 18 Pro, and iOS 27 goes out free to everyone on Monday, September 14 for iPhone 11 and later plus iPhone SE (2nd generation and later).
A release candidate is the end of the beta cycle rather than another step in it. Apple opened the cycle with developer beta 1 on June 8, said a public beta would follow the next month, and then put six release candidates out on one day in September.
| Key fact | What Apple has published |
|---|---|
| iOS 27 release candidate build | 24A435 |
| Date issued to developers | September 9, 2026 |
| Public release | Monday, September 14, 2026, free |
| Compatible iPhones | iPhone 11 and later, plus iPhone SE (2nd generation and later) |
| First developer beta | June 8, 2026 |
| Release time on September 14 | Not published |
| Whether the RC build is the shipping build | Not stated by Apple |
Six release candidates, one afternoon
Apple’s developer releases page lists all of them under September 9, 2026, which is the clearest signal available that the whole 27 family is meant to land together.
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| Release | Build |
|---|---|
| iOS 27.0 RC | 24A435 |
| iPadOS 27.0 RC | 24A435 |
| macOS 27.0 RC | 26A428 |
| tvOS 27.0 RC | 24J360 |
| visionOS 27.0 RC | 24M362 |
| watchOS 27.0 RC | 24R363 |
| Xcode 27 RC | 27A266a |
iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 share a build number, 24A435, which is how Apple has long shipped the two. The product pages for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, watchOS 27 and visionOS 27 all carry the same line, available starting 9.14.
tvOS 27 is the exception worth noting. Its release candidate went out on the same day, build 24J360, and Apple has published no tvOS 27 release date and no compatible-device list anywhere. The page that would normally carry them redirects instead.
What a release candidate does not promise
Apple does not say that a release candidate build becomes the public build. In practice the RC is the version handed to developers for final testing, and Apple has not published any statement tying 24A435 to what downloads on Monday.
What Apple did publish alongside it is the commercial half of a release. App Store submissions opened on September 9 for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, tvOS 27, visionOS 27 and watchOS 27, with developers told to download the Xcode 27 release candidate. Apple also set a deadline in the same post: from April 2027, apps uploaded to App Store Connect must be built with the iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 SDK or later.
That is the same day Apple published the iPhone 18 Pro press release and its A20 Pro chip claims, so the developer material has been sitting underneath the hardware coverage all week.
The odd release in the list
One entry on the page is not part of the 27 family at all. iPadOS 26.7, build 23H24, shipped on September 9 alongside the seven release candidates. A point release on the outgoing branch landing on event day is unusual, and Apple published no explainer with it.
Apple’s only dated support change in the same window was to its “About iOS 26 Updates” page, which now carries a September 9 date. There is still no equivalent page for iOS 27, and no iOS 27 row on Apple’s security releases index, which tops out at iOS 26.6.2 from September 8.
What this means for Monday
Practically, nothing about the software is still being decided. The build is finished, the App Store is accepting apps built against it, and every other 27 release except tvOS has a published date. What is missing is the part Apple never publishes: the hour.
Apple states a date and stops. It has published no release time, no download size, no free-space requirement and no statement that the rollout happens in stages. Our iOS 27 release date piece covers the confirmed features, and the event recap covers everything Apple announced on September 9, including Apple Watch Series 12, which needs an iPhone on iOS 27.
What Apple has not said
- No release time for iOS 27 on September 14, in any time zone.
- No confirmation that build 24A435 is the version the public receives.
- No download size and no free-space figure.
- No tvOS 27 release date and no tvOS 27 device list, despite an RC on September 9.
- No reason for iPadOS 26.7 shipping the same day as the release candidates.
iOS 27 is due Monday, September 14, free, and the release candidate has been in developers’ hands since September 9. The next dated item on Apple’s own calendar is Friday, September 18, when iPhone 18 Pro reaches stores with iOS 27 already installed.
