I've been trying to update my iPhone to iOS 18.7, but even though it's been prompting me to do so, I can't seem to get it done. I went to a certified Apple technician, and he explained that since I skipped from iOS 16.6 to 17, my phone doesn't recognize the update anymore. He recommended that I use Apple Configurator to manually find the iOS version for my update, but the only signed version available is iOS 26. I'm wondering if it's safe to proceed with this manual update, even though iOS 18.7 isn't signed for my current setup.
1 Answer
Since you can't update directly to iOS 18.7, iOS 26 is likely your only option right now. Keep in mind that iOS 18.7 is only for devices already on iOS 18. Also, when performing the update through a computer, avoid using Windows 11—it can soft brick your phone because of a known update failure bug. Stick to a MacBook or a Windows 10 PC for this operation.
I have a MacBook Air too, and I noticed it offers iOS 26. But my iPhone SE 2nd gen doesn't seem optimized for that version, and I've heard some negative feedback. I'm confused why the tech guy suggested I could select any iOS version when only 26 is available.