September 12 marked the release of the long-awaited iOS 16. Apple’s new operating system brings a host of new features to the iPhone 8 and above. But it’s not just for the latest mobiles from the Apple firm: older smartphones are also entitled to updates. In the process, Apple released iOS and iPadOS 15.7 for previous generation machines.
An update for older devices
This new version of the iPhone and iPad operating system is aimed at phones and tablets that are not eligible for iOS/iPadOS 16, and brings far fewer changes than these. It therefore concerns the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, 7 and 7 Plus, as well as the iPad Mini 4 and the iPad Air 2.
A priori, the update does not provide any new functionality, but allows the installation of security patches included in iOS 16 on machines that are not eligible for it. In all, about ten patches are included in iOS/iPadOS 15.7. It is therefore relevant to install the update as soon as possible. Regarding iPadOS, since version 16 will probably not arrive before next month, installing this version 15.7 is essential.
This isn’t the first time Apple has rolled out two “concurrent” updates on the same day. When iOS 15 was released, the company continued for a few months to deploy security patches on version 14 of the OS. Recently, Apple even updated its iPhone 5s to iOS 12.5.6 to fix a system vulnerability here too.
To check for an update on your iPhone or iPad, go to the app Settings then click General and Software update. If your phone or tablet is eligible for one of the updates offered by Apple, it should download and install itself.
It’s nice to see that Apple is taking the subject of software tracking seriously. The longer a device receives updates, the less reason it has to be replaced. Good news for the wallet and for the planet.