It's always been a point of pride for some Mac users out there that worrying about potential malware threats isn't as big of a concern as it is while using Windows. And, despite the fact that a new report says threats are growing for Apple's computers, that talking point still seems to stand true.
Back in 2020, the official Apple Twitter account was hacked and used as a way to scam Bitcoin. Now, the person behind the hack has been sentenced.
Apple is reportedly tweaking its Software Update mechanism to support the delivery of standalone security fixes to iPhone and iPad users without installing the latest iOS version.
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This would be similar to macOS updates. A new toggle in your Automatic Updates settings. Get security fixes without installing an iOS update. The handy feature requires iOS 14.5 and could be nixed. Security fixes delivered separatelyYour Mac supports the delivery of security fixes separately from main macOS software updates. This is used, for example, to deliver critical security fixes to customers who happen to be using an older version of the macOS operating system. Android, Windows and other operating systems work like this, too, and now the same feature is reportedly coming to the iPhone and iPad owners with Apple's respective iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 updates.
9to5Mac has spotted interesting changes within the iOS 14.5 code suggesting that Apple is working on a new feature that would give customers the option to choose whether they would like to get the latest iOS updates separately from security fixes for the platform.
More specifically, the site has found a new toggle within the Automatic Updates menu that would let you choose whether you'd like to only receive security updates or full iOS updates.
There are no guarantees this feature will launch publicly but if it does, you'll be able to receive critical security fixes for your device without having to install the latest iOS version available.
How would this be beneficial?According to 9to5Mac, users may need to delete a specific iOS fix that they previously downloaded before being able to download another iOS update. "The new code found in iOS 14.5 also mentions that once you download a specific update, such as a security update, you may need to delete it before installing another available iOS update," reads the article.
→ How to stop automatic iOS updates
Apple could use this to continue offering security updates to folks on iOS 14 after the release of iOS 15. A good example is the recent iOS 14.4.1 update which only brought a security fix for a major WebKit vulnerability and nothing else—with the new system, Apple could only deliver the necessary fix without having to release a whole new iOS point update just for that.
When's iOS 14.5 coming out?Aside from this feature, iOS 14.5 will also bring the ability to unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch while wearing a mask, new Shortcuts actions, 200+ new emoji, support for Beast headphones in the Find My app, Waze-like reporting in Maps and more.
iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5 and other Apple OS updates are currently in developer testing, with a few additional betas likely in the works before the final builds are ready for prime time. Though Apple has not said when the updates are dropping, we're expecting an early-Spring launch.
If you just recently jailbroke your iPhone or iPad with the unc0ver or checkra1n jailbreaks, and you noticed that certain native features of your handset’s keyboard have stopped working as expected, then we’ve got some good news for you!
iOS developer Baw Apple has just released a new and free jailbreak tweak called u0SMSCompleteFix that apparently resolves these issues after jailbreaking these particular versions of iOS or iPadOS.
Your WhatsApp chats saved in iCloud could be read and shared with authorities when lawfully requested. That might change soon as the Facebook-owned messaging service has been working on a new privacy feature that would protect these iCloud backups with encryption.
Public cloud services are an important tool. Offerings from Microsoft, Amazon, and Google make it possible for a lot of developers to get their apps and services out there into the world. However, it can lead to some issues, too.
Just last year, we showed you a jailbreak tweak called SmartNetwork by iOS developer Elias Sfeir, which allowed pwned iPhone and iPad owners to enjoy more granular control over their wireless networks — far more than what you’d expect from Apple out of the box on a stock handset.
Now that iOS & iPadOS 14.0-14.3 can be jailbroken on all devices by way of the unc0ver jailbreak, it’s not too surprising to see that many of these tweaks are being re-released with iOS & iPadOS 14 support. SmartNetwork is no different, although the branding has been changed to SmartNetwork 2 and a plethora of new features have been added since we last went hands on with it.
Learn how to require a password in the Keynote app on Mac, iPhone, and iPad to open a presentation or exit one.
In this tutorial, we’ll show you two free and easy ways to secure your ZIP files on Mac with a password to prevent unauthorized use.
Earlier in the month, security researcher @pattern_F_ from the Ant Security Lab Tweeted a demo video of what appeared to be a successful jailbreak attempt on an iPhone 11 running iOS 14.0. It was later revealed that the exploit used would potentially work on iOS & iPadOS firmware versions up to and including 14.3.
While it was unclear whether @pattern_F_ would release the aforementioned work to the general public, the news was quickly drowned out by the subsequent release of the cicuta_virosa kernel exploit for iOS & iPadOS 12.0-14.3 by @ModernPwner.
If you’re using a Face ID-enabled handset without a passcode, which might very well be the case if you’re using the checkra1n jailbreak on the iPhone X with iOS 14, then you may notice how interacting with notifications from the Lock Screen takes more effort than it needs to.
More specifically, if you don’t have a passcode, then tapping on a notification banner from the Lock Screen reveals an Open button that must be tapped before you’re brought to the app’s interface to interact with the missed notification.
Activation Lock is meant to be one of the most important security elements on an iOS device. But, like all security-related things, sometimes it can get in the way. But Apple is launching a new self-serve portal to help.