Downloading iOS 26? Do these 6 things on your iPhone first (and thank me later)

Apple's latest mobile operating system, iOS 26 -- yes, if you've not been keeping up, that's what will come after iOS 18 -- is finally here, and it's being pushed out to hundreds of millions of compatible iPhones worldwide. For the most part, the vast majority of these upgrades will be smooth and painless.

Also: Every iPhone that can be updated to iOS 26 (and when you can install it)

Maybe I'm being overly cautious here, but, as someone who's experienced a painful upgrade, I like to take a few precautions before I allow a new update to go wild on my system. And it's not like any of these steps are a huge chore or consume a lot of time.

First, will you even get iOS 26?

Good question. Every major release, I invariable get messages from people endlessly checking for ...