Apple’s iOS 18 will be launched alongside the iPhone 16, which is coming at an event on September 9, … [+]
Apple’s iOS 18 is arriving soon, along with a bunch of game-changing new features for your iPhone. Apple’s iOS 18 will be launched alongside the iPhone 16, which is coming at an event on September 9, with the software update arriving on devices soon afterwards.
Many people like to wait to update their iPhones to major new operating systems such as iOS 18, to ensure any early bugs are ironed out first. But there are security and privacy reasons to update to Apple’s soon-to-launch iPhone operating system. Here are three reasons to update to iOS 18 when it arrives next month and one reason to wait.
Reasons To Update To iOS 18
iOS 18 Will Come With Security Fixes: The first reason and possibly the most important one is, Apple’s iOS 18 will come with multiple security fixes for your iPhone. Sometimes the list of fixes in major iOS point upgrades is hefty, with dozens of patches issued by the iPhone maker.
Apple knows many people are reluctant to upgrade straight away and will also issue security fixes for iPhones running iOS 17, possibly in a iOS 17.6.2 update. But the iPhone maker tends to only fix what it deems to be “important” holes in its older operating system once a new one—in this case, iOS 18—has arrived.
This means that security-wise, your iPhone is better covered by updating to iOS 18.
iOS 18 Allows You To Lock And Hide Apps: Apple’s iOS 18 comes with security features including the ability to lock and hide apps using Face ID. That means you can ensure any private apps containing sensitive information can be viewed by you only.
The new iOS 18 feature should be easy to use right away. Just swipe right to access your Apple Library and scroll to the bottom of the page, where you’ll see the folder named Hidden with a symbol resembling an eye with a cross through it. If you tap the folder you’ll be prompted to enter Face ID or your passcode to access these apps.
iOS 18 Has A New Passwords App: Apple’s iOS 18 comes with a new passwords app—a password manager that’s a step up from the current iCloud Keychain and will work across platforms. The iOS 18 passwords app allows you to share credentials with family members and can handle passkeys, verification codes and Wi-Fi passwords.
The new app also includes alerts to let you know when your credentials are weak or have already been exposed in a security breach.
Reasons To Wait to Update To iOS 18
iOS 18.1 Comes With AI And Private Cloud Compute: If you update to iOS 18 at launch, you won’t get AI features right away. That’s because Apple is saving its Apple Intelligence launch for the first big update, at which point, the features will be opt in only.
The AI capabilities will be run on the device and in Apple’s own private cloud, called Private Cloud Compute, which includes end-to-end encryption, the gold standard of security.
If Apple Intelligence is the only key feature you are interested in when iOS 18 launches and you can’t stand the idea of early bugs, you might be better to wait. Apple is probably launching iOS 18.1 at the end of October, a month after iOS 18. Even then, you won’t see the ChatGPT integration many people have been looking forward to—this will come later in the year or perhaps in 2025.
iOS 18—What To Do
Apple’s iOS 18 will be available in a couple of weeks, so what should you do when it becomes available? If you are going to upgrade your iPhone to the iPhone 16, like me, it will come pre-loaded with iOS 18 anyway.
But if you have a earlier iPhone version that can run iOS 18—namely any phone from the iPhone XS and newer—should you update straight away?
Firstly, it’s worth noting that the AI Apple Intelligence features will only be available to chips powering the iPhone 15 and above.
If your iPhone does run it, the question of whether to update to iOS 18 comes down to your own preference and threat model. If you use your iPhone for work, it can sometimes be better to watch and wait, ensuring you read the security coverage here on my Forbes page when iOS 18 arrives.
It’s likely any early bugs will be ironed out straight away, since the optics wouldn’t be good for Apple. So, if you want to try out the new features and ensure you are covered for all security holes, why not update to iOS 18 straight away?