Apple's biggest 'iPhone update' for year 2024, iOS 18, rollout starts today - September 16: India time and how to prepare your iPhone for iOS 18 download

Apple's biggest operating system (OS) update for iPhones, iOS 18, is rolling out starting today, September 16. Apple iOS 18 brings a host of new features to iPhones. Unveiled in June this year at Apple's annual developers event, WWDC 2024, iOS 18 OS update introduces new customisation options for users' iPhone home screen as well as lockscreen, allowing them to not only rearrange apps and widgets freely but also change their appearance.Apple iOS 18 also boasts of a redesigned Control Center and new password management app.
Other notable additions that iOS18 brings include enhanced text effects in Messages, a revamped Photos app, and improved organization tools in the Mail app. However, it's important to note that the highly-anticipated Apple Intelligence features, such as text rewriting and image generation, will not be included in the initial iOS 18 release. These AI-powered tools will come in a future update, starting with the iOS 18.1 public beta in October. Apple recently published a giant PDF document that just lists, with brief descriptions, all the new features coming to iOS 18 over the next several months.
Alongside iOS 18, Apple is also releasing macOS Sequoia, watchOS 11, and visionOS 2 on September 16. macOS Sequoia offers iPhone mirroring, watchOS 11 includes new training features, and visionOS 2 introduces an ultrawide virtual Mac display. So far, there's no official release date for tvOS 18, it's, however, likely to arrive soon.
But before you download iOS 18, make sure that your iPhone is ready. Here are some things you should not miss:
What time Apple iOS 18 rollout starts in India
First things first, Apple has not announced the exact time of iOS18 rollout. But going by past many years, the iOS18 will be available for download starting around 10.30 PM IST. Please note that iOS 18 will likely come pre-installed on the new iPhone 16 models.

Before upgrading to iOS 18, ensure your device has sufficient storage. To free up space: Start with deleting unused apps. Review your installed apps. Delete those you no longer use. Hold an app's icon and tap the "X" to delete it, or go to Settings > General > iPhone/iPad Storage and select "Delete App."
Another must do is to check your social media apps like WhatsApp and Instagram. Social media apps can accumulate large amounts of data. Delete and reinstall them to clear cached files and chat history.
Also don't forget to optimise your photo storage. Consider storing high-resolution photos in iCloud and keeping smaller versions on your device. Enable iOS's automatic offloading feature for apps you rarely use.

A crucial step before any major system update is to back up your iPhone. This safeguards your data in case something goes wrong during the installation process. You can use iCloud or a local backup on Mac or Windows PC for added security.

Once the update is available, connect your device to Wi-Fi. Make sure connectivity is not patchy. Similarly, ensure that your iPhone is fully charged.

Go to Settings > General > Software Update to check for the download. Remember, the initial release of iOS 18 will not include Apple Intelligence features, which will be introduced in a subsequent update.