Apple Recently Changed How It Handles Security Updates

Most companies release software updates and security patches separately. That way, even if you don’t want to update your device to the latest feature update, you can still install the latest security patches and keep your digital life protected from vulnerabilities. That hasn’t been Apple’s way, traditionally. Instead, the company tends to release its security patches as part of its feature updates. That way, there’s an extra incentive for users to update to the latest version of Apple’s software (e.g. iOS, macOS).

Now, this doesn’t apply to devices that cannot update to the latest version. If your iPhone doesn’t support the latest iOS 26 update, you aren’t locked out of security updates. Instead, Apple still releases security updates for older software, including iOS 18. The tricky part is when you have a device that can update to the latest software, but doesn’t.

That might happen for any number of reasons, but in iOS 26’s case, there are a large number of users who just don’t want to install it. Part of that is the design—iOS 26 changes things radically, and, for some, it just doesn’t look right. They prefer the look of iOS 18, and would rather stay put than update. There are also the users wary of performance issues that have been reported with the latest features updates. They, too, are sticking with iOS 18.

This wasn’t a problem at first—Apple was giving these types of users security updates through new versions of iOS 18. But after a few months, the company cut them off. Only devices that couldn’t update to iOS 26 got the security patches, while the rest needed to update fully in order to protect their devices.

That is, until recently. DarkSword, a malware kit that organized hacking groups have used to target high-profile individuals, was exploiting vulnerabilities in Apple’s OSes. The company patches these, but deemed the threat large enough that it couldn’t leave the iOS 18 holdouts behind. In a rare move, the company made iOS 18.7.7 available for all users on iOS 18, whether or not their iPhones could update to iOS 26.

As such, you should update your iPhone to the latest version of whatever version of iOS you’re running—whether that be iOS 18 or iOS 26. To get started, head to Settings > General > Software Update.