Apple Sets Friday Night Deadline for iPhone 18 Pro Early Access
Want to skip the weekend rush? Apple has set a specific cutoff for pre-selecting your new phone, but there is a small catch in the official documentation.
Apple has established a hard deadline for those who wish to streamline the purchase of the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro. By making your model, color, and storage selections in advance, you can bypass much of the wait time when pre-orders officially open. This feature, known as "Get Ready," allows you to lock in your choices before the official window begins, ensuring a smoother transaction process during the initial sales period.
The deadline to complete these preliminary steps is 9:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Friday, September 11. According to reports from 9to5Mac, Apple’s official press release initially contained a typo, listing the time as 9:00 a.m. However, context and current availability suggest the evening time is the correct cutoff. If you miss this window, you will still be able to order the phone, but you will lose the advantage of having your selections pre-verified and ready for immediate checkout.
Pre-orders begin Saturday morning
The official pre-order window opens on Saturday, September 12, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time. This schedule is a deviation from Apple’s typical pattern, where pre-orders usually launch on the Friday following a product event. The shift is likely due to the date falling on September 11, prompting Apple to push the launch back by one day to avoid the sensitive timing.
For those who have used the "Get Ready" feature, the checkout process on Saturday will be significantly faster. Your device configuration, any paired accessories, and financing or trade-in details will already be processed. This reduces the number of steps required to finalize the purchase, which is particularly useful if the initial demand leads to server congestion or checkout delays.
Clarifying the reported time error
There is a minor discrepancy in Apple’s official communications that may cause confusion. The company’s press release stated the cutoff as 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time, but this appears to be a mistake. Since it is already past 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time and the "Get Ready" option is still active, the 9:00 p.m. time aligns with last year’s schedule and logical timeline. Shoppers should proceed under the assumption that the deadline is in the evening, not the morning.
The trade-off for early selection
While pre-selecting your phone offers speed, it requires you to commit to specific choices before the product is officially available for purchase. If you change your mind about storage capacity or color after 9:00 p.m. Friday, you will have to redo the selection process during the busy Saturday morning window. The convenience of a faster checkout is the price you pay for this early commitment, a trade-off that may matter less to those with flexible schedules but could be frustrating for those who are indecisive.
