macOS "Tahoe" 26.3 released: Is it time to upgrade from Sequoia?

[Alpha Centauri]

Never occurred to me before and the irony is I don’t even want to hook them up! I just want the iPhone 12 to reliniqish its grip on the watch, so the watch will talk to the iPhone 17. Who’d have imagined I’d need to upgrade the Mac (that I don't have hooked up to either of them) to achieve that. I’m looking for a solution but…[shrugs dramatically, wipes brow]...

By all accounts IF upgrading to Tahoe, an iP must also be on iOS 26 to do a tethered backup via Finder. It's why I haven't updated the Mac. Could you confirm this for your iP12 and Tahoe (if that's what you're running).

 

[leifp]

I'm curious what problems you are having here...

I still have Sequoia on my Mac, and I have iOS 26 on my phone. I have had no problems having the two of them interact. I can plug in my phone and drop files to it. I can use the iPhone Mirroring app. I haven't tried to update my phone‚ but I have updated some iPads running iPadOS 26.x over USB from my Mac running Sequoia.

The trouble is if the Mac can be upgraded and has not been iOS refuses to connect. This is part of Apple’s push to get every device capable of running the most recent OS to run said OS. And it’s pretty ancient behaviour. I don’t recall when I first noticed it but it predates M series Macs by quite some time.

 

[PotentPeas]

The trouble is if the Mac can be upgraded and has not been iOS refuses to connect.

What are you running into? Not saying this isn't true, but it is just not squaring with what I am experiencing, so I am curious to see if I can reproduce it. I have a M2 Max system which can run Tahoe but I have not upgraded it yet. Everything that I have tried to do between my Mac and my phone (as noted above), which has been upgraded, has worked fine.

By all accounts IF upgrading to Tahoe, an iP must also be on iOS 26 to do a tethered backup via Finder. It's why I haven't updated the Mac. Could you confirm this for your iP12 and Tahoe (if that's what you're running).

This might be true and I have less of a problem if it is the case, though I do still wish it wasn't the case. I have not tested because I don't have a situation where the OS on my phone is "older" than the OS on my Mac; for me, it is the opposite. I think it's more likely for an iPhone to be upgraded before a Mac. It's easier to hold a Mac back, anyway, and (I think) there are more reasons to do so as well.

 

[leifp]

What are you running into? Not saying this isn't true, but it is just not squaring with what I am experiencing, so I am curious to see if I can reproduce it. I have a M2 Max system which can run Tahoe but I have not upgraded it yet. Everything that I have tried to do between my Mac and my phone (as noted above), which has been upgraded, has worked fine.


This might be true and I have less of a problem if it is the case, though I do still wish it wasn't the case. I have not tested because I don't have a situation where the OS on my phone is "older" than the OS on my Mac; for me, it is the opposite. I think it's more likely for an iPhone to be upgraded before a Mac. It's easier to hold a Mac back, anyway, and (I think) there are more reasons to do so as well.

Made me look! Instead of living in the past, I attempted it now, as my iPhone is still on iOS 18.7.2 and my non mission critical mini has been updated to macOS 26.3 to play around and come to terms with the foibles of the new UI/UX.

Result: plays just fine! Will miracles never cease?

Aside: allowing my iPhone to upgrade to the most recent security updates without forcing me to the newest iOS version would be massively appreciated. D*** move, Apple.

 

[PotentPeas]

Aside: allowing my iPhone to upgrade to the most recent security updates without forcing me to the newest iOS version would be massively appreciated. D*** move, Apple.

I think you can get 18.7.3 if you switch to the iOS 18 beta channel... but I think that's the end of the line for devices eligible to upgrade to iOS 26. The "3-ish month" overlap window where both the "old" and "new" is supported is normal. (Better than the "no window at all" that we got before iOS 14(ish), where there were no updates offered for the old version at all for devices eligible for the new one, once the new one was out...)

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Made me look! Instead of living in the past, I attempted it now, as my iPhone is still on iOS 18.7.2 and my non mission critical mini has been updated to macOS 26.3 to play around and come to terms with the foibles of the new UI/UX.

Result: plays just fine! Will miracles never cease?

Aside: allowing my iPhone to upgrade to the most recent security updates without forcing me to the newest iOS version would be massively appreciated. D*** move, Apple.

So your iP is on iOS 18.7.2 and the Mac on 26.3? Clarifying I understood correctly.

You may not backup the iP this way but what happens if you tether both and attempt to do an iP backup in Finder? From all accounts this will possibly tell you to update to iOS 26. Just be careful and be aware but there should be a notification first.

It's what holding me back moving to Tahoe as my iP 13 Mini won't like iOS 26.

 

[leifp]

So your iP is on iOS 18.7.2 and the Mac on 26.3? Clarifying I understood correctly.

You may not backup the iP this way but what happens if you tether both and attempt to do an iP backup in Finder? From all accounts this will possibly tell you to update to iOS 26. Just be careful and be aware but there should be a notification first.

It's what holding me back moving to Tahoe as my iP 13 Mini won't like iOS 26.

I have a Mac mini that’s on 26.3 that I rarely use. My MBPro is on 15.7.4 and the iPhone on 18.7.2. Historically I have not been able to connect technology of varying OS generations and have now tested that using my Mac mini. It works! So my old concerns are no longer valid. I have full access to my iPhone on my Mac mini.

 

[Ursadorable]

I'm not upgrading to Tahoe until I buy a Mac Studio M5 Ultra, and only because I won't have a choice to downgrade.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

I have a Mac mini that’s on 26.3 that I rarely use. My MBPro is on 15.7.4 and the iPhone on 18.7.2. Historically I have not been able to connect technology of varying OS generations and have now tested that using my Mac mini. It works! So my old concerns are no longer valid. I have full access to my iPhone on my Mac mini.

Appreciate you trying it. From all I've researched thus far, likely a notification then might come up after hitting Back Up Now, that iOS requires 26? Might give Apple a call to confirm I guess.

 

[PotentPeas]

Appreciate you trying it. From all I've researched thus far, likely a notification then might come up after hitting Back Up Now, that iOS requires 26? Might give Apple a call to confirm I guess.

AFAIK, your Mac won't run the upgrade on your phone without asking you first. Even if it did kick off without a prompt first, it is a lengthy process which includes a download first and if you see that happening, you can just unplug your phone.

I do think you'll be able to do a backup without the upgrade being "required", but, I don't have such a configuration set up to actually test. However, I do think that even if the upgrade is not "required", you will be "nagged" to upgrade your phone and might have to continually cancel it.

 

[leifp]

Appreciate you trying it. From all I've researched thus far, likely a notification then might come up after hitting Back Up Now, that iOS requires 26? Might give Apple a call to confirm I guess.

I used a third party backup software in the past but haven’t done that at all in quite a while.

 

[CasualFanboy]

Perhaps doubling down on being The iPhone Company™?

They were going to do that anyway.

 

[leifp]

Wrong place, sorry…

 

[Azedquery]

I'm curious what problems you are having here...

I still have Sequoia on my Mac, and I have iOS 26 on my phone. I have had no problems having the two of them interact. I can plug in my phone and drop files to it. I can use the iPhone Mirroring app. I haven't tried to update my phone‚ but I have updated some iPads running iPadOS 26.x over USB from my Mac running Sequoia.

By all accounts IF upgrading to Tahoe, an iP must also be on iOS 26 to do a tethered backup via Finder. It's why I haven't updated the Mac. Could you confirm this for your iP12 and Tahoe (if that's what you're running).

Nope, not running Tahoe, and that, according to Apple, was the whole problem.

I couldn't see their logic since iP 12 still on 18 - hence coming to this forum. I've since solved it though via a forced restart on iP 12 (duh, I know…) which suddenly started syncing health data AND let me unpair the watch. Problem solved, nothing upgraded. I should have thought of it sooner. I’d also have thought that someone at Apple would've suggested this during the 3x2 hour sessions with Apple support that did not resolve it.