Apple 15.3 is here and it is an important release that sees Apple break wildly from convention. Here’s everything you need to know.
Tip: bookmark this page because I will keep it up to date if/when new problems are found. I will deliver my final verdict in a week.
02/04 Update: Final Verdict below
Apple iOS 15
Apple
MORE FROM FORBESWhy New iPhone Upgrades Suddenly Became More ExpensiveBy Gordon Kelly
Who Is It For?
Apple iOS 15.3 is available for all iOS 14-compatible devices, this means the iPhone 6S and newer. iPhone owners, you should be automatically prompted to update but you can also trigger the update manually by navigating to Settings > General > Software Update. If you are running a newer iOS 15 beta (see ‘The Road Ahead’ section at the end), you must unenroll your iPhone for iOS 15.3 to show up.
Note: this guide is not focused on older iOS updates or iPadOS, but I will touch upon pertinent issues in these guides.
The Deal Breakers
Jailbreakers, you know the deal by now. Neither Unc0ver nor checkra1n has cracked the latter iOS 14 releases, let alone iOS 15 so iOS 15.3 remains off limits to you. That said, considering what it delivers (see next section), it may be time to rethink your priorities.
As for the first 24 hours, iOS 15.3 is making a similarly positive impression to iOS 15.2.1. Few complaints are being raised on Apple Support Communities or social media with the primary frustrations based on bugs that have yet to be fixed (FaceTime issues over 5G and the infamous storage bug in particular – backstory here) rather than anything new.
So What Do You Get?
Apple iOS 15.3 breaks strongly from over a decade of iOS convention. ‘Major point’ releases (iOS 15.1, iOS 15.2, etc) bring new features, ‘minor point’ releases (iOS 15.1.1, iOS 15.2.1, etc) stick to fixes. iOS 15.3 is the first major point release I can remember to only offer fixes, with Apple’s official release notes simply saying:
“iOS 15.3 includes bug fixes and security updates for your iPhone and is recommended for all users.”
That said, the fixes are major point worthy. On Apple’s official iOS 15.3 security page, the company reveals 10 patches with two being fixes for zero day attacks which affect all iPhones, iPads and Macs. These are the most serious form of security breach because it signifies the vulnerabilities are known to hackers before a patch could be released. Apple admits it is aware these flaws “may have been actively exploited”.
Zero Day #1 (tracked as CVE-2022-22587) is a memory corruption bug in IOMobileFrameBuffer allowing hackers to launch malicious code on your device. Zero Day #2 (assigned CVE-2022-22594) exploits a flaw in Safari for iOS and iPadOS and allows user identities and their browsing history to be tracked in real-time. These are the first Zero Day iOS hacks of 2022, though they will not be the last.
In addition to these headliners, iOS 15.3 also fixes security flaws in ColorSync, Crash Reporter, iCloud, Kernel, Model I/O and a further three Webkit vulnerabilities (the engine behind Safari).
Last, perhaps the most curious element of iOS 15.3 is its size. For a release supposedly limited to security fixes it weighs in at 4-7GB, depending on your iPhone model. I suspect there are many more tweaks and fixes to this update than Apple is officially reporting.
Apple iOS 15.3 Verdict: Upgrade
Yes, iOS 15.3 has been out for little over a day and bugs may yet appear but this is a very significant security update with vulnerabilities that are known to hackers. I would strongly suggest you protect your iPhone, iPad (and Mac) ASAP.
Note: for those who are still hesitant to upgrade, bookmark this guide. I will continue to update it with any relevant flaws or features I find and you will receive my final verdict here in one week.
02/04 Update: Final Verdict below. As more users have installed iOS 15.3 there have been a trickle of complaints. The two areas are battery drain and Face ID, with the latter seemingly being less effective in low light. These remain very limited in number, however, so my personal feeling is not to worry (notably battery life often takes a hit after iOS updates while your phone reindexes which triggers complaints) so my final verdict is upgrade. If you’ve been stuck on iOS 14 all this time, this is the moment to jump to iOS 15.
The Road Ahead
Apple has today seeded the first beta of iOS 15.4. The update returns to the major point/feature rich pattern of iOS releases and adds support for Face ID while wearing a mask (without an Apple Watch), 112 new emojis, improved support for game controllers and the long-awaited release of Universal Control among others.
Expect iOS 15.4 to drop in late February/early March and I wouldn’t be surprised to see iOS 15.3.1 before then as Apple continues to polish iOS 15 after its ignominious start.
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