Say you’re about to update a family member’s old iPad and you want to know the highest version it can still run before you start tapping through Settings. Max OS answers that in one run, pulling the current release numbers for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS straight from Apple and laying them out so you can read the build numbers and dates at a glance.
Inside the shortcut
The shortcut queries Apple’s official developer releases page and parses the latest shipping version for each platform it tracks. You get a tidy report covering iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS, with the version string, the build number in parentheses, and the release date next to each line. Because Apple still ships security patches for older major versions, the report doesn’t stop at the newest release. It lists the most recent build for each supported branch, so an iPad stuck on iPadOS 15 or an older model on 16 shows up with its own current build rather than getting lumped in with the headline number.
Adding it to your iPhone
- Install the free Actions app from the App Store. The shortcut leans on its extra actions, so add it first.
- Tap Add Shortcut on this page to open it in the Shortcuts app.
- Scroll the import sheet to the bottom, tap Add Shortcut, and confirm any permissions it asks for.
- Run it once to make sure the report comes back populated.
Using it day-to-day
Tap the shortcut from your library, the Home Screen, or a widget, and it does the lookup and hands back the formatted report. Nothing to type, no account to sign into. The author also wires it to drop the result into iCloud Drive ▸ Shortcuts ▸ Max OS, so you’ve got a saved copy to compare against next month. That’s handy when you’re tracking whether a device has fallen behind the current build or when you just want a quick record of what shipped and when.
A practical reason to keep it around: Apple’s version naming jumped to the year-based scheme, so the current top branch reads as iPadOS 26.x while older hardware sits on 15, 16, 17, or 18. Seeing every branch in one list makes it obvious which devices are current and which are riding out their final security updates.
Common questions
Why does it need the Actions app?
The report formatting relies on a couple of actions that the built-in Shortcuts app doesn’t include. Grab Actions from the App Store before the first run and the import won’t complain.
Where does the report get saved?
Version 9.6 added a save step that writes the result to iCloud Drive, under Shortcuts ▸ Max OS. You can open that file later or sync it across devices without re-running the lookup.
The numbers look different from what’s on my phone, what gives?
Max OS reports the latest builds Apple has published per branch, not what’s installed on your device. If your iPhone shows an older version, that just means it hasn’t been updated yet, and the report is telling you the ceiling you could move up to.
