Apple has urged its users to download the latest update for iOS and macOS, to make their devices safe from hostile malware. As part of the new upgrades available on iOS 16.4.1 and macOS 13.3.1, the US tech giant has launched a new Rapid Security Responses patch. Apple noted that this sudden update did not bring any cool new features that users could interact with, but rather focuses on issuing “important security improvements between software updates.”
For example, these updates could include improvements to the Safari web browser, the WebKit framework stack, or other critical system libraries.
According to Apple, these updates, “may also be used to mitigate some security issues more quickly, such as issues that might have been exploited or reported to exist ‘in the wild.’”
New Rapid Security Responses are delivered only for the latest version of iOS, iPadOS and macOS — beginning with iOS 16.4.1, iPadOS 16.4.1, and macOS 13.3.1.
By default, your device allows Rapid Security Responses to be applied automatically and, if necessary, will prompt you to restart your device.
But to make sure that the device is on the latest version, follow these steps:
iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates, then make sure that “Security Responses & System Files” is turned on.
Mac: Choose Apple menu > System Settings. Click General in the sidebar, then click Software Update on the right.
Click the Show Details button next to Automatic Updates, then make sure that “Install Security Responses and system files” is turned on.
When a Rapid Security Response has been applied, a letter appears after the software version number, as in this example: macOS 13.3.1 (a).
You could also choose to turn off this setting or not to apply Rapid Security Responses when they’re available, however, this could put your device at some risk.
Apple noted that if you opt out of these mini updates, your device will receive relevant fixes or mitigations when they’re included in a subsequent software update.
