Apple has released a new software update for a phone that's almost ten years old, not to mention some Macs that were released in 2013.
The new Apple software updates are built specifically for older iPhones, iPads, and Macs that can't install the updated iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3, or macOS Ventura and ensure that people using older devices continue to be safe while they do it.
Apple says that this round of software updates deals with security problems that meant that "processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution." Apple goes on to say that it "is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited against versions of iOS released before iOS 15.1." You can learn more about the security implications of these updates, and others, on Apple's website.
There are a number of affected devices that you might not expect to receive software updates at this point in time, but here we are. Those include the iPhone 5s which was released in September 2013 as well as the MacBook Air, Mac Pro, and MacBook Pro machines that were first announced in the same year. All of these updates are available for download on those machines now, and we'd absolutely suggest that you do that as soon as possible.
As AppleInsider notes, those who have automatic updates enabled won't need to do anything and might already have this updated software installed without realising. But everyone else should absolutely head into the Settings app on their iPhone or iPad and the System Preferences app on their Mac to download the updates now.
The updates now available for older devices include:
- iOS 12.5.7
- iOS 15.7.3
- iPadOS 15.7.3
- macOS Big Sur 11.7.3
- macOS Monterey 12.6.3
While some people accuse Apple of building planned obsolescence into its iPhones in particular, this is perhaps a good example of that that is absolutely not the case. How many Android-powered phones are still getting security updates after almost ten years?