iPhone owners warned to take immediate action to protect their phone
You could be at risk.
If your iPhone is running on iOS 17 and you still haven’t downloaded the latest update, do it now.
Apple released its shiny new operating system to everyone in November, five months after unveiling it at the annual World Wide Developer Conference.
New features include a nifty standby screen, live voicemail – generating transcripts of messages as they happen – and NameDrop, the easy way to swap contact details with other iPhone users.
These are just a few of the updates, and there are plenty of others to be getting to grips with, hence why iOS 17.2 wasn’t expected until later this month.
However, last week Apple released iOS 17.1.2, alongside a warning to all users to download it immediately.
There were no new features in the release, simply security patches – Apple initially said: ‘This update provides important security fixes and is recommended for all users.’
Once Apple published its security notes it became clear what the issue was – two ‘zero-day vulnerabilities’ in the system that required immediate patches. These are issues that were previously unknown to the developer, meaning there is currently no defence against it.
Both appear to relate to WebKit, the web browser engine used by Safari, Mail, App Store, and many other apps.
This means phones still running on iOS 17.1.1 are extremely vulnerable, and users should update their operating system immediately.
iPad users should also update their tablets by downloading iPadOS 17.1.2.
The public beta version of iOS 17.2 has already been rolled out, but do not install it unless you have backed up your iPhone.
How to check and update your operating system
- Open the settings app
- Scroll down to ‘General’
- Tap on ‘About’
- If your iOS is up to date, the iOS version will be 17.1.2
- If your operating system is still 17.1.1, go back to ‘General’ and tap ‘Software Update’
- Underneath details about 17.1.2, tap ‘Download and Install’
- You’ll need Wi-Fi and at least 50% battery life, unless the device is on charge
- Users can also switch on automatic updates, so the operating system upgrades itself, usually overnight while the device is on charge
Which iPhones can run iOS 17?
All iPhones released during or after 2018 are compatible. These are:
- iPhone X
- iPhone X Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- All iPhone 12 models
- All iPhone 13 models
- All iPhone 14 models
- All iPhone 15 models
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