Apple has something for all iPhone owners: install an available update. This goes for owners of the latest iPhone 14 all the way to owners of an iPhone 5 which means you may need to make a phone call to an older family member.
Many people, when they get a new smartphone they pass the old one to a parent, or grandparent, or child. Depending on how old that phone is, it could pose a serious risk to their information and what’s on the phone.
iPhones 6 and older can’t be updated to new operating systems which offer regular security updates. The risks of hackers taking control of those phones are so great that now Apple is offering a surprising update for older phones.
iOS 12.5.7 is for the iPhone 5s, and the iPhone 6 generation. According to Apple, the operating system at the time, iOS 12, is vulnerable to hackers who can install code and effectively do what they want with it such as accessing contacts, and other information on the phone. For that matter, any phones not updated to at least iOS 15 are vulnerable to attacks.
It’s unusual for Apple to offer these updates to 9 and 10-year-old phones, so it must be important. Apple doesn’t reveal the security holes before giving users an opportunity to install the update. No sense in tipping off hackers. If you’ve given someone your old iPhone, let them know they should look for the red 1 under settings, and install the update as soon as possible.
