{"id":62094,"date":"2025-12-19T19:36:43","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T18:36:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.apfelpatient.de\/?p=62094"},"modified":"2025-12-19T19:37:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T18:37:48","slug":"apple-indirectly-forces-iphone-users-to-update-to-ios-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.apfelpatient.de\/en\/news\/apple-zwingt-iphone-nutzer-indirekt-zu-ios-26-updates","title":{"rendered":"Apple indirectly forces iPhone users to update to iOS 26"},"content":{"rendered":"

Apple's latest iOS updates have created a situation that is causing confusion for many iPhone users. Ideally, security updates should be able to be installed independently of a major version upgrade. However, in practice, it appears that Apple is not consistently implementing this principle with iOS 18 and iOS 26.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple regularly emphasizes the importance of security updates for iPhone and iPad. At the same time, it frequently communicates that major iOS versions remain optional and users can decide for themselves when to upgrade. The current handling of iOS 18.7.3 raises doubts as to whether this freedom of choice still exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

iOS 26.2 and iOS 18.7.3: What Apple has released<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Apple released<\/a> iOS 26.2 last week. The update includes several important security fixes<\/a>. Of particular relevance are two WebKit vulnerabilities that, according to Apple, may have been specifically exploited in attacks targeting individuals with iOS versions below iOS 26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

iOS 18.7.3 was released concurrently. This update fixes the same two WebKit bugs and also closes additional security vulnerabilities. iOS 18.7.3 is intended for users who have not yet updated to iOS 26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem with iPhones supporting iOS 26<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As Jason Snell of Six Colors reports<\/a>, iOS 18.7.3 is not being offered to many users. This affects iPhones that are technically capable of running iOS 26 without any problems, such as the iPhone 11 or newer models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In these cases, only iOS 26.2 appears as an available update in the settings. The security update for iOS 18 does not appear. This creates a clear limitation: Anyone wanting to close security gaps must switch to iOS 26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple is effectively signaling that protection against current security vulnerabilities is only possible with an upgrade to the latest major version. Staying on iOS 18 is practically impossible, even though a current security update exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conscious decision to forgo iOS 26<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If an iPhone is still running iOS 18 today, it's usually a conscious decision. The devices are powerful enough to run iOS 26, but there are understandable reasons for not updating for now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This includes personal preferences, problems with app or company software, an aversion to new design concepts like Liquid Glass, or simply general caution towards major iOS versions shortly after their release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Snell points out, no one should be forced to choose between a security update and a system change they are not ready for. That is precisely the situation that has now arisen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which devices will receive iOS 18.7.3 regularly?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Apple's official security update page confirms that iOS 18.7.3 is only available via the public update feed for devices that no longer support iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. These include, but are not limited to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n