In a rare move, Apple is rolling out an iOS 18 update to patch a major security vulnerability for iPhones that haven’t upgraded to iOS 26. The company typically reserves such fixes for the latest iOS version, unless the issue is especially severe.
This comes amid a recent push from Apple to address newly discovered vulnerabilities across older iOS releases. It has released multiple updates over the past few weeks.
Apple rushes to fix major iOS vulnerabilities
Apple has already released updated iOS 15.8.7, iPadOS 15.8.7, iOS 17.6.15, iPadOS 16.7.15 and iOS 18.7.7 for compatible iPhones and iPads to patch Coruna and DarkSword exploits.
Now, the company has confirmed to Wired that it will roll out another iOS 18 to patch the DarkSword exploit. This update will target iPhones that support iOS 26 but are still running iOS 18 for some reason.
Notably, Apple did not release iOS 18.7.7 for iPhone 11 and newer models, all of which are compatible with iOS 26. Instead, it encouraged users to upgrade to the latest version.
“Tomorrow we are enabling the availability of an iOS 18 update for more devices so users with auto-update enabled can automatically receive important security protections. We encourage all users with supported devices to update to iOS 26 to receive our most advanced protections,” said an Apple spokesperson to WIRED.
Detailed a couple of weeks ago, the two sophisticated vulnerabilities can take over certain iPhones when an unsuspecting user visits a website with malicious code — no taps, downloads or warnings. Given the severity, Apple updated older iOS builds to patch the exploits.
iPhones running iOS 26 aren’t affected, as the vulnerability is already fixed in the latest release.
iOS 18 users must install this update
With over 25% iPhones still running iOS 18 despite being compatible with iOS 26, Apple needs to patch this vulnerability.
If you have auto-update enabled, your iPhone will automatically receive the patched build. Otherwise, you can choose to update to the fixed version of iOS 18 or upgrade to iOS 26.
Rajesh has been writing about consumer technology for over a decade, with a strong focus on iPhones, Macs and Apple’s ecosystem. He enjoys digging into Apple software updates, hardware changes, and discovering new Mac apps that make work faster and more enjoyable.
