Unpacking a New iPhone 17 Today? Check for Software Updates
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Whether you pre-ordered your new iPhone last week or you’re grabbing it from a local Apple Store, it will be an exciting day when your shiny new iPhone 17, iPhone Air, or iPhone 17 Pro model lands in your hands. However, before you jump right in and begin setting it up, you should set aside some time, as it seems there’s a day-one update already waiting for it.
While Apple released iOS 26 to the public on Monday, there’s a slightly newer build that’s already pending for the 2025 iPhone models. What’s even trickier about this is that, unlike previous years, Apple isn’t giving this a different version number; it’s not iOS 26.0.1 (although there’s evidence that’s coming), but merely a newer version of iOS 26.0.
Specifically, the build that launched earlier this week and is available to all iPhone 11 and later models is identified as build 23A341. However, the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max reportedly have a newer build 23A345 waiting for them.
Apple has been juggling build numbers more than usual this year. The release candidate (RC) that went out to developers and public beta testers after Apple’s “Awe Dropping” event last week was build 23A340. While not unprecedented, it’s relatively uncommon for a public release to differ from the RC build, as that’s the entire point of a release candidate.
However, the new iPhones come with an even older build of iOS 26 out of the box. According to several reports, they’re shipping with build 2A330. This is what’s called the “RTM” or “Release to Manufacturing” build, meaning it’s what’s being installed during the manufacturing process. Since Apple doesn’t use the same numbering system for its beta and RTM/RC builds, it’s hard to tell where this fits in, but it may have predated even the last developer beta that was sent out at the beginning of September.
Most of the iPhone 17 and Air models arriving in customers’ hands today will have left Apple’s factories well over a week ago, so the latest build released last week wouldn’t have been ready before they were put into their boxes. While Apple has developed a way to wirelessly update iPhones in the box, these machines are typically used in Apple Retail Stores, and it’s unclear if they’ve been scaled to handle the millions of iPhones being shipped out of China and India over the past two weeks.
Either way, those with early review units have confirmed that the latest build is not on their iPhones, which means it’s almost certainly not on the one that you’re unpacking today. Those same reviews have also noticed some odd problems, which may be why Apple has a new build ready to go out of the gate.
For instance, while testing the new models, Henry Casey observed at CNN Underscored that “one out of every 10 or so photos taken on the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Max have small blacked-out portions.” An Apple spokesperson confirmed that this was “something that can happen in very rare cases when an LED light display is extremely bright and shining directly into the camera,” and noted that a fix is on the way in an upcoming software update.
Apple didn’t offer a timeline, but we’re hoping this has already been addressed in the new 23A345 build, or many new iPhone users could be in for a disappointing camera experience while waiting for iOS 26.0.1 to arrive. It’s certainly the most urgent issue we know of right now. If there are any other fixes in this new build, Apple isn’t talking about them, but either way, it’s a good idea to make sure your iPhone is up to date.
How to Update Your New iPhone
The good news is that you hopefully won’t have to jump through any hoops to get this update installed. Apple has enhanced the iPhone setup process over the past few years to check for updates and install them right at the outset, before you transfer any data and set your iPhone up. In that case, you just need to follow the instructions and give it some extra time.
However, if for some reason you don’t see a prompt for this, don’t assume that your iPhone is up to date, as it’s not. In that case, we recommend setting up your new iPhone as brand new:
- Go through the setup process, but do not transfer any data from your old phone. You can also move quickly through any other questions, as you’ll be wiping the iPhone again and starting over after it’s updated, so there’s no need to take time to set up Face ID or worry about training Siri for your voice.
- Once that’s complete and you’re at the Home Screen, open the Settings app and select General and Software Update to check for new updates like you normally would. Install anything shown here.
- After it’s finished updating to the latest build, erase it by opening the Settings app again and selecting General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase all Content and Settings, and following the instructions.
Your iPhone will be erased and returned to its initial setup state, but with the latest build of iOS 26. You can then set up the iPhone as you normally would, including transferring data over from your old iPhone.
