Apple pushes 'critical' software alerts to iPhones running out-of-date… is attracting attention across the tech world. Analysts, enthusiasts, and industry observers are watching closely to see how this story develops.
This update adds another signal to a fast-moving sector where product decisions, platform changes, and competition can quickly shape the market.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.
Earlier this month Apple took the rare step of issuing a public security warning to users running out-of-date versions of iOS on their iPhones, and how the company has gone further, pushing alerts to the lock screens of vulnerable devices.
As spotted by MacRumors, the alert comes labeled as a "Critical Software" update, and urges users to get their phones patched to protect against "attacks targeting out-of-date iOS software, including the version on your iPhone".
The attacks Apple is referring to here include fraudulent and compromising web links created through the exploit kits Coruna and DarkSword. As the official support document says, following one of these links could put your device at risk.
The exploits can work on phones running iOS 13 all the way up to iOS 17.2.1, and the equivalent iPadOS versions are affected too. Apple has been delivering patches to protect against this attacks — which you should install, if you haven't already.
The fix for this is straightforward: update your phone through General > Software Update in Settings. All versions of iOS from iOS 15 onwards are now protected against these threats, and will block access to the malicious links that have been identified.
If you're still on iOS 13 or iOS 14, you need to update to at least iOS 15 at your earliest opportunity. iOS 15 is compatible with handsets as far back as the iPhone 6S, launched in 2015, so it's only on really old iPhones you'll still have a problem.
For those of you using anything older than 2015, it might be time to consider investing in a new iPhone — otherwise you're going to leave yourself rather exposed to these issues. There are no fixes coming for those really old software versions.
Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
Apple says if you're unable to update your iPhone for whatever reason, you can consider enabling Lockdown Mode. This is a super-secure iOS configuration that adds extra protections, but it's only available on iOS 16 and later.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.
Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
Why This Matters
This development may influence user expectations, future product strategy, and the competitive balance inside the broader technology industry.
Companies in adjacent segments often react quickly to similar moves, which is why stories like this tend to matter beyond a single announcement.
Looking Ahead
The full impact will become clearer over time, but the story already highlights how quickly the modern tech landscape can evolve.
Observers will continue tracking the next steps and how they affect products, users, and the wider market.
