At the same time as releasing updates for its major operating system releases, Apple is also issuing updates for its previous versions, including iOS and iPadOS 17.7, macOS Ventura 13.7, and macOS Sonoma 14.7.
While the main focus will be on the releases of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, as well as macOS Sequoia, Apple is also maintaining its earlier operating systems. On Monday, alongside the main updates, it’s issued some smaller patches for the previous-gen OSes.
The update list includes iPadOS 17.7 and iOS 17.7, which have build number 21H16. There are also updates for macOS Ventura 13.7, build 22G123, and macOS Sonoma 14.7, build 23H124.
Updates released for older operating systems tend to consist of changes to enable features tweaked in the newest releases. They often include changes to enable hardware support, increase compatibility, and even performance improvements and security fixes.
It is typically advised to update to the latest available version of an operating system shortly after availability, though there are exceptions. For example, sometimes software will work on one version but fails on a newer release.
The updates can typically be installed through the same mechanism as usual system updates for each device.
