Update your iPhone NOW: Apple issues a new iOS rapid security update

Apple has released the first of a new type of security update for iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers, called a “Rapid Security Response.”

These software releases are intended to deliver important security enhancements to devices between operating system updates.

They can help close software vulnerabilities that could give hackers access to your smartphone.

The first “Rapid Security Response” is available for Apple devices running the latest versions of iOS, iPadOS and macOS.

These are iOS 16.4.1, iPadOS 16.4.1, and macOS 13.3.1, all of which were released last month.

To install the first ‘Rapid Security Response’, go to your device’s ‘Settings’, then click on ‘General’ and ‘Software Update’.

An option should appear that says “iOS Security Response 16.4.1(a)”, and below that a button that says “Download and Install”.

After clicking that button and then “Restart Now,” your device will shut down and turn back on while the update is installed.

This should only take a few seconds, so it’s a lot faster than regular iOS iPadOS and macOS updates.

When it completes, your OS will read as iOS 16.4.1(a), iPadOS 16.4.1(a), or macOS 13.3.1(a).

Your device’s settings are also made to ensure that any future ‘Rapid Security Response’ is installed automatically.

To check this, go back to the “Software Update” section and click on “Automatic Updates”.

There should be a switch next to an option called ‘Security Responses & System Files’, which should be in the green position.

Even with this option enabled, you may still be prompted to reboot your device to complete future settings.

But if you disable it, the device will still receive the latest security fixes in the next software update.

Some may also install automatically even if it is disabled.

The rollout of the first “Rapid Security Response” comes less than a month after the release of iOS 16.4.1, which fixed two urgent security flaws.

According to Apple, they both could have allowed hackers to infiltrate the device and “execute arbitrary code.”

This code could have given them access to private data, control over the device’s functionality, and install malware.

It could have even allowed them to take control of other devices connected to the network or internet the original was connected to.

Apple has said the new “Express Security Updates” can be used to “faster fix some security vulnerabilities” that may have already been exploited or reported to exist.

They can also help improve critical system libraries – the collections of software components that allow the operating system and apps to run.

For example, the Safari web browser or the WebKit engine.

The concept of Rapid Security Responses was unveiled last year at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC).

It gives users the option to remove a security patch if it causes problems, and opt out of receiving it altogether.

The last major software update was iOS 16.4, which brought with it a range of new features, including the addition of 21 new emoji to the keyboard.

This includes the long-awaited pink heart icon, as well as a shaking face (“I’m shook”), a moose, stem ginger, the Wi-Fi symbol, and a pair of maracas.

Software updates from Apple don’t always go smoothly, which explains why some are hesitant to launch them when they are offered.

Some of those who updated to iOS 16.4 complained that a system bug drains their device’s battery quickly.

Last month, iPhone users around the world also couldn’t access live forecasts on the Apple Weather app, which some also linked to their new operating system.