In less than four weeks, all will be revealed about the Apple iPhone 17 series. That’s because on Tuesday, Sept. 9, Apple will hold its keynote unveiling the new hardware, I believe. Now, a new date has been added to the mix. You can read the full schedule, but it’s also laid out in detail below. Meanwhile, an invite to the keynote has appeared, but it’s almost certainly fake. More on that below.
It’s also worth noting that the iPhone won’t be the only product announced at the keynote. Apple is almost certain to introduce two new Apple Watches (Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3), and maybe even a new version of the AirPods Pro. All will be announced by Apple at the same time and will almost certainly have the same release date.
Apple iPhone 17 Release Date: The New Entry In The Schedule
Mark Gurman’s Bloomberg Power On newsletter is always full of very interesting nuggets. In the latest issue, he mentioned something that has so far been absent from recent release date schedules. Among all the talk of the keynote date, the on-sale date and even the date for when the keynote date will be unveiled (all of which are below, with timing's down to the minute), there has been scant talk of the release for iOS 26.
More than in recent years, the new Apple software has captured the public’s imagination this year. Although iOS 26 will be pre-installed on the Apple iPhone 17 series, it will also work on iPhones all the way back to the iPhone 11. So, when will it go on general release?
Gurman also commented that the new software is “pretty smooth”, and has since said on X that the latest, sixth developer beta is “ridiculously snappy”. So much so that “it’s clear that we’re pretty close to the release of the final, public versions,” he then said.
I believe it’s possible to pin the release down further than “the first half of September,” Gurman commented.
Last year in 2024, iOS 18 went on general release on Monday, Sept. 16, exactly a week after the keynote and four days before the Friday, Sept. 20 on-sale date of the iPhone 16 series.
I believe this year’s general release for Apple iOS 26 will follow a near-identical schedule, and will be available from around 10 a.m. Pacific on either Monday, Sept. 15 or just possibly Tuesday, Sept. 16.
I favor the Monday because excitement in the new software is so high, Apple will want it released as soon as it can, plus, it seems in good shape already.
That’s the day to mark on your calendar, unless Apple contradicts the iOS 26 release date, which it will likely announce on the day of the keynote. I will update this post as soon as the details are confirmed.
iPhone 17 Release Date: The Full Schedule
Now as for the rest of the schedule, here are the most important dates. I will also update this post as soon as any are confirmed officially.
First up is the announcement of the Apple keynote. This is likely to be around 8 a.m Pacific, on Tuesday, August 26. This is usually when invites are sent out by email to selected members of the press and special guests. The exact time is subject to an hour or so’s leeway, and it’s even possible that the invites will go out a day before hand. Check back here for new details as soon as it’s gone live.
There has already been one “leak” of the invite — you can see it here. Nothing is impossible but I believe there’s not a shred of doubt: it’s a fake. The said time and date are accurate, and the place, but the rest of it is wholly unconvincing. Apple is a stickler for detail, but I am not sure I believe it needs 87 drafts of an invite.
The next big piece of the puzzle will be the Apple keynote itself. The time will be at 10 a.m. Pacific, as this is always Apple’s chosen time for Cupertino unveilings. I believe it will be on Tuesday, September 9 and the possibility of a date change now seems vanishingly small.
Here is the rest of the schedule. Pre-orders opening is the next event and, if previous timetables apply, will be at 8 a.m. Pacific, Friday September 12.
After that, I'm sure the first reviews will appear. There’s a bit of latitude here, but I believe it will either be Tuesday, September 16 or Wednesday, September 17. As for the timing, that’s likely to be at 6 a.m. Pacific, 9 a.m. Eastern, 2 p.m U.K, though it could be later.
Note that whichever date is not when Apple iPhone reviews appear, that day will almost definitely be used for Apple Watch reviews. If there is a third marquee product, such as new AirPods Pro, the review date will be Thursday, September 18, at the same time. Apple recognizes that staying with the same time each day makes sense.
Finally, the big day itself is the on-sale date: it looks to be Friday, September 19 at 7.a.m. wherever you are (so first photos of people leaving Apple Stores clutching iPhones will come from Australia and New Zealand, with Europe later and United States after that.
More analysis is currently reaching us on a near-daily basis. Happily, everything still points to the dates mentioned in the schedule above. Few other commentaries mention the times, but I’m sure that the timings are correct unless Apple changes from its tried-and-true process (If it ain’t broke…).
Ryan Christoffel at 9to5Mac has useful analysis that specifies what happened when in recent years to help specify the current release date. “Regardless of the exact day of the week the iPhone 17 announcement falls on, pre-orders should begin that Friday, with the official release date the following Friday,” he then reports.
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