Apple Rapid Security Response Update Rolling Out for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS Devices: Details

Users will need to be on latest version of their respective operating systems to receive the update.

Written by Sheldon Pinto, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 2 May 2023 10:49 IST

Apple Rapid Security Response Update Rolling Out for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS Devices: Details

Rapid Security Response update is available for iPhone models running iOS 16.4.1

Highlights

Rapid Security Response updates are set to be applied automatically
The update is meant to deliver urgent security fixes
A user can opt out of these updates if they choose to

After testing out its new type of software release over the past few months on beta software, Apple has finally released its first public Rapid Security Response update on devices running latest versions of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. This would be iOS 16.4.1, iPadOS 16.4.1, and macOS 13.3.1. These are rather tiny in size compared to regular software updates that appear on these devices. Apple for once, has not published release notes that detail what has been fixed with a given update. However, Apple has explained what this type update does and why it exists.

This new type of software release is currently only available for iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices. These are meant to deliver urgent security updates in the same way Google delivers Android security patches to Android-powered devices. Likewise, Apple's Rapid Security Response updates are also smaller in size. The update we received on our iPhone 14 Pro review unit was 85.2MB in size, but these could also be smaller as seen in some past betas.

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Apple claims that these updates could bring about a number of security improvements to the Safari browser, the WebKit framework stack, or other critical system libraries. However, it's mostly in place to take care of more urgent security issues such as exploits that are either reported or exist in the wild.

The device will prompt for a restart inorder for the update to be applied, when Settings for software updates have been set to default. Users can also choose to opt out of these security updates if they wish to. These updates are switched on by default after a user installs iOS 16.4.1, iPadOS 16.4.1, and macOS 13.3.1 on their respective devices. They will need to head to Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates> and toggle off Security Responses & System files, to turn off these smaller software updates. Those who choose to opt out of these Rapid Response Security updates will eventually receive the same security patches in the next regular software update.

Apple also explained that a device that has been recently updated with a Rapid Security Response update, will have a slightly different name or version number. This can be identified with a letter, which appears after the software version number, like with the current update on iPhone it appears as iOS 16.4.1 (a). Apple also lets users remove a security update, that may have been automatically applied (since it is switched on by default). A user can head to Settings > About > iOS Version > (Settings > General > About > macOS> “i” on macOS) and tap on Remove Security Response if they need to.

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iPhone 14 Pro

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Superb display with always-on mode
Excellent overall performance
Good battery life
All cameras take high-quality stills and video
Regular iOS updates for many years

Bad
Extremely expensive
Relatively slow charging and transfer speed
Gets warm under heavy workloads
Limited customisation for Dynamic Island

Read detailed Apple iPhone 14 Pro review

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A16 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 6GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

OS iOS 16

Resolution 1179x2556 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

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Further reading: Apple, Rapid Security Response Software Update

Sheldon Pinto

Email Sheldon Pinto

Sheldon Pinto is based in Mumbai, and has several years of experience in reviewing smartphones and gadgets. As a Senior Reviewer at Gadgets 360, you will always find him deeply immersed in his reviews, switching from one phone to another. When the battery dies out, Sheldon is always browsing the web for a good sci-fi movie or reading up on cars and bikes. He also loves creating lists of interesting places to eat and travel. Sheldon is available on Twitter at @shellshocd, and you can mail him at ...More