iOS 16 is finally ready for its public release. After months of beta testing, iOS 16 and watchOS 9 will drop on September 12 for all compatible devices.
But when exactly will the update show up on your iPhone? Find out iOS 16’s release time in your time zone here.
iOS 16 and watchOS 9 release time on September 12
Apple confirmed that iOS 16 and watchOS 9 would release on September 12 in a press release after its Far Out event.
Based on the company’s track record and previous timeframe, iOS 16 and watchOS 9 should be public around 10 a.m. PDT/1 p.m. EDT. That’s the time Apple has always seeded new software updates for its devices. The only exception was iOS 14 in 2020, which dropped a few hours later than usual.
- Afghanistan: 21:30
- Algeria: 18:00
- Australia: 03:00 (Tuesday)
- Australia (Northern Territory: 02:30 (Tuesday)
- Western Australia: 03:00 (Tuesday)
- Austria: 19:00
- Bangladesh: 23:00
- Belarus: 20:00
- Bolivia: 13:00
- Brazil: 14:00
- Bulgaria: 20:00
- Canada: 11:00
- Canad (East): 13:00
- China: 01:00 (Tuesday)
- Colombia: 12:00
- Egypt: 19:00
- Europe: 19:00
- Finland: 20:00
- India: 20:30
- Iran: 21:30
- Iraq: 20:30
- Japan: 02:00 (Tuesday)
- Qatar: 20:00
- Russia: 05:00 (Tuesday)
- Saudi Arabia: 20:00
- Singapore: 01:00 (Tuesday)
- South Africa: 19:00
- South Korea: 02:00
- Thailand: 00:00 (Tuesday)
- United Arab Emirates: 21:00
- United Kingdom: 18:00
- United States (PDT): 10:00
- United States (EST): 13:00
If your country is missing from the list above, you can find iOS 16’s release time in your local time zone here.
Don’t rush to install iOS 16 on your iPhone
Once iOS 16 and watchOS 9 are out, do not expect your iPhone or Apple Watch to download the updates immediately. There will be a heavy load on the servers initially, as millions of people worldwide will try to update their iPhones. This could lead to slow download speeds.
If you are not in a hurry, consider waiting 18-20 hours after the update is out before installing it. This will also give you ample time to confirm there are no major showstopping bugs or issues with the updates that users are facing.
If you are on the iOS 16 beta channel, you don’t need to worry about the public release. Apple already seeded iOS 16 and watchOS 9’s RC build after the Far Out event on September 7. This is the same build that the company will release to the public on September 12.
This year, Apple is not releasing new builds of iOS and iPadOS simultaneously. The company has delayed the release of iPadOS 16 to October alongside macOS Ventura as it works to improve Stage Manager further.
