iOS/iPadOS 18.7.7 appears to be live for devices currently running 18.
Just checked Software Update, scrolled to bottom and saw the option under “Also Available”. It shows your current iOS version below that. Tapping 18.7.7 brings up the full screen with the usual generic message and link to Apple Security Releases page, which does NOT show this specific release, only the original 18.7.7 update from March 24th. Ran update on iPhone 13 and it took around 8-10 minutes.
Given the severity of the DarkSword exploit I put all my iPhones and iPads into Lockdown mode. It works but some websites have issues.
I have been patiently waiting/hoping that Apple would issue an update for those not yet using iOS 26. Very happy to see they have done this.
I feel some sympathy to those who upgraded to iOS 26 in the past few days – there is no way to go back to iOS 18.
iOS 18.7.7 is now available.
I’m delighted to hear the news!
Unfortunately, based on the seriousness of DarkSword, I “downgraded” my iPhone 13 mini to iOS 26.4 a little over a week ago, and I regret it.
I am getting accustomed to 26.4, but I find that iOS 18 was a much more polished experience.
I checked today several times and thought there was no update, because this is what I saw:
Notice there’s no scrollbar, and if you try to scroll by grabbing the iOS 26.4 update, it just scrolls that update’s way too long description.
What you’re supposed to notice is the mouseprint “ALSO AVAILAB” that’s obscured by the bottom grabber.
18.7.7 was available on my iPad Air 5 about noon, Pacific Standard Time, in Portland, OR. Upgrade done!
Unbelievable! 
Thank you Apple and Happy 50th.
(Not visible on my iPhone 16 Pro right now in the UK but hopefully will be downloaded by morning.)
Yeah, I explicitly added “scroll down” to the instructions in my article since I experienced exactly the same thing on the iPhone SE.
I am one holding off on ‘upgrading’ to 26 but not being able to install security updates om my iPhone 12 and iPad Air 4 because Apple does not offer them. I have also started ignoring the badge on the settings app because of that. To me this security issue illustrates the stupidity of Apple’s policy in trying to force users to ‘upgrade’ their devices instead of offering them to choose. Also, not allowing a user to ‘ignore this update/upgrade’ and removing the badge does not help.
Apparently Apple has come to wisdom and now does offer 18.7.7 to users like me. I installed it immediately when I learned about it here. So despite Apple and thanks to TidBITS my devices are again protected from the latest threats 
… Or maybe Apple didn’t want to wait for both releases to pass validation and security testing before releasing one, and they gave priority to version 26, releasing version 18 after it passed its testing.
Don’t assume an evil conspiracy if there’s a perfectly reasonable mundane explanation.
Apple hasn’t released a patch for iOS 15 (that latest my iPod can run). Does this make them evil? Or does it reflect the fact that there are so few users still on that platform that it’s not worth the engineering effort?
And if that had been the case, they could have, at the 26 security update release, told folks something like “we’re working on an security update for 18, but it’s hard and it’s taking us a bit, please bear with us”. That would have informed their valued customers of what’s going on and it would also have allowed folks who consciously wanted to stay on 18 to hold off updating to 26 just for this fix, as several here have reported feeling compelled to do.
But Apple made no such communication. Meanwhile what they did communicate was that they’re planning to burden their valued customers with ads in Maps.
This is not about being “evil”. It’s not a moral question. And it’s certainly not binary either. Around such a huge business and market there’s many facets.
What this instance does appear to be about, is the leadership to set priorities right. And we do know from much past experience that Apple indeed is receptive to public pressure and shaming, if intense enough. As somebody who wants Apple to get their priorities straight and always put user experience ahead of all other distractions (be it marketing or other), I’m all in favor of the media and loyal users being vocal when Apple is not displaying the right attitude. When folks speak up in places like here or the WSJ personal tech editor points out that Apple is screwing up, that is a good thing in my book.
In this case, a simple one-liner press releasee would have done the job and earned Apple a bunch of praise (recall, longevity and support of previous hardware/software are one of the key advantages of Apple’s products) instead of bad press and suspicions about ill intent.
That could be a (valid) explanation, but does not explain why Apple is withholding users that want to stay on 18 incremental updates. My devices were on 18.7.2 because Apple did not offer 18.7.3 or 18.7.4 as an also available update.
I’m not assuming any evil. Probably Apple management thinks it is doing users a favor by ‘allowing’ them to ‘upgrade’ to the latest and ‘greatest’. I think different 
Giving users the choice to do with their devices what they want is better for users I think.
Apple has done this every year. I believe that 18.7.7 is the first time they have provided a security update to phones with the ability to update to the new release after they’ve stopped providing those updates on all phones that can update to a newer version.
Your point that Apple shouldn’t do this is noted by me. But Apple’s general policy has been to stop providing these updates after about the X.2 update in about early December every year. If anyone didn’t notice this already, you know this now, and you can decide when you purchase your next phone or tablet to continue buying Apple devices, or switch to another platform that may be more willing to provide those updates.
This may be a one-time thing because of the poor reception to iOS 26 and what seems to be a rushed and not well tested change to this new Liquid Glass paradigm. Or maybe Apple has decided that not protecting users who stay on older releases from similar bugs was a bad decision in the past and this will be a new policy. Apple hasn’t said anything at all about this either way.
