iOS 18 will be released on September 16, 2024. The update will bring many new features, but some users may not want to install it right away to avoid bugs and compatibility issues with important apps. That’s why Apple will continue to support iOS 17 for some time, 9to5Mac reports.

Along with the public release of iOS 18.0, the company will also release iOS 17.7 to developers and public beta testers. The update doesn’t appear to add any new features, but it does bring bug fixes and security updates to iOS 17.

Users will see both updates in the iPhone and iPad Settings app and will be able to choose whether to stay on iOS 17 with the latest security patches or upgrade to iOS 18 with new features.

Last year, Apple also continued to release security patches for iOS 16 for some time after the release of iOS 17. However, from a certain point on, these patches were only released for devices that could not be updated to iOS 17. Since iOS 18 works with all iOS 17-compatible iPhones, Apple will likely stop releasing iOS 17 updates in a few months.

Along with iOS 18, Apple will also release iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, tvOS 18, visionOS 2, and macOS Sequoia.