Apple iPhone users have been warned about a common bug in the Settings app that is causing a security feature to crash.
The mistake is that you are not updating your smartphone to the latest iOS update that was released this month.
The new iOS 17.6 fixes an issue that prevented some people from turning on Advanced Data Protection, which encrypts photos, passwords and home data.
On some iPhones, the update may not have been installed automatically because the phone was not connected to the Internet, did not have enough storage space, or did not have automatic updates turned on.
Apple has instructed all iPhone users to update their devices to the latest iOS system after 35 security vulnerabilities were discovered
Apple introduced the new iOS 17.6 update on August 7, which includes a fix for issues with the Advanced Data Protection feature.
Some users reported receiving an error message when attempting to enable the security feature, while others saw the feature appear as disabled when they tried to turn it off.
With the new update, users should be able to ‘build number’ 21G101 in the Settings app.
Users can find the number by going to the app and clicking on General, then on the About section.
In the second row you can see which iOS version is installed on your phone. If you click on this, you will see a number in brackets that indicates which version is downloaded.
While Apple has confirmed that it will launch its iOS 18 software in the coming months, experts warn that users should not ignore the iOS 17.6 update.
Apple did not elaborate on the exact security issues associated with the new update, saying on its website that it “does not disclose, discuss, or confirm security issues until an investigation has occurred and patches or releases are available.”
This is necessary so that malicious parties cannot exploit the vulnerabilities before customers have updated their devices, the company explains.
Apple claimed last month that there is no evidence yet that hackers have exploited these back-end issues.
Sean Wright, Head of Application Security at Featurespace, said Forbes that while users don’t need to worry about security issues, it’s still a good idea to ‘update as soon as possible’.