Nearly a year after announcing its Rapid Security Response feature, Apple is finally using the update system for the first time.
iOS, iPadOS, and Mac devices all see the first express, standalone security update, contained in version 16.4.1 for iOS and iPadOS devices and patches for Mac endpoints (opens in a new tab) Version 13.3.1. Updated devices will get an (a) stamp for the OS version.
Apple has been tight-lipped about the exact details of the rollout, with links to updated support pages showing only general descriptions (opens in a new tab) Apple’s Rapid Security Response Update and how it works (at the time of publication), and Apple’s Security Updates page hasn’t even been updated yet.
need to restart
Key updates via Quick Security Response “can be applied automatically between standard software updates,” Apple said when it first announced the feature. Another key change is that some upgrades will no longer require a device reboot and will take effect immediately after installation.
However, this update still requires a restart. Installation on the M1 MacBook Air and iPhone 13 Pro requires a restart of the device, but the patch size is much smaller, and the installation time is also greatly shortened. It is said that the patch is less than 100MB in size.
Users who for any reason do not want to receive Express Security Response updates can disable the feature in the Settings menu. These changes do not affect how other updates are downloaded and installed on iOS and macOS devices.
It’s also worth mentioning that some of those who installed the patch first encountered an error message, but according to ArsTechnica, the error was quickly fixed and should no longer appear.
Apple first introduced Quick Security Response in iOS 16, and it has been available to beta users twice since then.
pass: Ars Technica (opens in a new tab)
