Your complete schedule until the sale date

Updated September 15 with details on the decline in pre-orders and the almost complete disappearance of FineWoven products.

After passionate months of speculation, leaks and reports, Apple has announced its 2024 iPhones. That means the timeline of what’s happening when has been more or less confirmed. To make sure you don’t miss anything, here’s what’s happening now in the run-up to the iPhones going on sale, with all the details on what’s confirmed and what’s still just predicted. Pre-orders are now open, so I’ve updated this post with details on how the first sales went and comments on FineWoven’s mysterious near-discontinuation. Let’s start with that, but rest assured, the full timeline is below.

iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro: How pre-orders work

Pre-orders have begun, and if you didn’t take advantage of the clever loophole mentioned below under “Pre-orders,” you’ll know next time. At the time of writing (Sunday, September 15), the iPhone 16 Pro is in stock enough in most colors and most storage variants for you to order and receive at launch, or pick it up in stores on launch day, Friday, September 20, or Saturday, September 21.

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If you’re pining for the larger model, the iPhone 16 Pro Max, things are different. That’s interesting because last year the larger model was the only way to grab a 5x zoom telephoto camera. This time around, the cameras are identical on both, so the only differences are longer battery life and a higher price. That’s not putting people off, though. There’s currently a 3-4 week delay on some models like the 256GB storage model in White Titanium. As a reminder, 256GB is the smallest storage option for the iPhone 16 Pro Max. If you want Natural Titanium and are happy with 512GB storage, you’ll be able to buy that color at launch – given current stock levels.

The regular iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will be readily available on release day in all colors with 128 GB storage option.

iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro: Where is FineWoven going?

Last year, Apple introduced a new premium eco-friendly finish for iPhone cases, iPhone wallets, AirTag keychains, and watch bands, and I think it’s fair to say it wasn’t well received.

Therefore, Apple has only launched two types of cases this year, the most popular of the range: silicone and transparent. There are no more FineWoven cases for the iPhone 16 and if you take a look at the Apple website, you will see that all FineWoven cases for the iPhone 15 series have now been discontinued as well.

However, the watch straps, iPhone Wallet and AirTags keychains are still available.

iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro: Before pre-orders (confirmed)

Apple has announced that this time it will do as it did last year and give customers the opportunity to select what they want in advance so that pre-orders can be made.

Apple says: “Customers have until 9:00 p.m. PDT tonight to get a head start on pre-ordering the new iPhone 16 lineup by selecting their desired model, choosing their preferred payment method – including pre-approval for financing – and saving their cart so they’re just a click away once pre-orders begin tomorrow.”

This time is 9:00 p.m. Pacific Time, 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time (midnight today) for customers on the West Coast, and 5:00 a.m. Friday, September 13 for customers in the UK.

Once you’ve selected your model, color, and storage tier, you can save the cart, but you’ll need to log in as soon as possible after the pre-order period in your region to complete the sale. What are they? Read on.

iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro: When pre-orders start (confirmed)

Pre-orders will be available from Friday 13 September. The possible superstitious reaction to Friday the 13th.^th did not deter Apple.

Pre-orders start at 5am Pacific, 8am Eastern and 1pm UK. Last year, Apple let you jump in the queue the night before. You could log into apple.com the day before, select the device of your choice in the right color and storage, and add it to the online shopping cart. That way, you could immediately hit the buy button as soon as pre-orders were activated.

There is no news yet if such a situation will occur this year, but I will report if this changes.

iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro: Introduction of iOS 18 (confirmed)

Apple has now announced that the software, which will run on the new iPhones and on all iPhones from the iPhone Xr onwards, will be released on Monday, September 16. An exact time was not given, but it is usually 10am Pacific time, 1pm Eastern time and 6pm UK time.

iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro: Release date (confirmed)

The iPhones will go on sale on Friday, September 20, along with the Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch Ultra 2 in black, AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation, and AirPods Max in new colors.

iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro: Release date (to be confirmed)

The exact time is not yet set, but it is usually around 8am local time. This means that due to time zones, it will go on sale in Australia and New Zealand first.

You can then head to your local Apple Store to purchase or pick up your online order, or wait anxiously at home if you have arranged for home delivery.

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