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Apple stops signing off on iOS 14 security updates to counter slow iOS 15 uptake

By Daniel Petrov

Published: Jan 14, 2022, 3:17 AM

iOS Apple

Apple stops signing off on iOS 14 security updates to counter slow iOS 15 uptake

Only 63% of iOS devices are currently updated to Apple's latest iOS 15 operating system which may be the slowest uptake in the history of the mobile OS. The reasons are numerous but the main culprit is that Apple sells way more devices than before, and people are brandishing a lot of oldies that either can't get the iOS 15 update or get it in a watered-down version.

As if to push those who didn't bother to update to iOS 15 and could, Apple may have stopped signing off on the latest iOS 14 security updates, instead offering iPhone and iPad users on iOS 14 only the iOS 15.2 update that was just released in December.

According to 9to5Mac, Apple devices on iOS 14.8 or older can't update to iOS 14.8.1., and the software update setting is now listing only the iOS 15.2.1 update to go to, instead of showing both iOS 14.8.1. and iOS 15.2.1, as was the case with earlier security updates.

This could be a temporary bug, or could be Apple's not-so-subtle way to nudge those whose devices allow to migrate over to the newest version of its mobile operating system. In any case, it seems that iPhone and iPad users would no longer have a choice if they want to get

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.