If you’ve got one of the best iPhones or an iPad, then Apple’s latest software update is worth downloading sooner rather than later. The new iOS 26.5 update fixes more than 50 security vulnerabilities across iPhones and iPads, including bugs tied to Safari, app permissions, malicious media files, and sensitive user data.
According to Apple’s official security release notes (via MacRumors), the update patches issues affecting everything from WebKit – the browser engine used by Safari – to screenshots, Spotlight, Shortcuts, and kernel-level system components.
Several of the vulnerabilities could potentially allow apps to access sensitive user data, trigger unexpected system crashes, leak kernel memory, or bypass certain privacy protections. Apple also fixed multiple WebKit flaws that could cause Safari crashes or expose information through maliciously crafted web content.
One of the more notable fixes affects Visual Intelligence on iPhone 15 models and later. Apple says an attacker with physical access could potentially access sensitive data during iPhone Mirroring. That issue has now been patched.
There are also fixes for bugs related to lock screen privacy, IP address tracking, camera metadata, malicious image files, and rogue media content that could crash apps or corrupt memory.
Thankfully, Apple says it isn’t aware of any of these security flaws being actively exploited in the wild. Still, security updates tend to become more important once technical details are publicly available, so delaying them for too long usually isn’t a great idea.
The update is available now for iPhone 11 and later, along with supported iPads. Older devices are still getting security support too, with Apple also releasing iOS 18.7.9, iOS 16.7.16, iOS 15.8.8, and matching iPadOS updates for unsupported hardware.
Elsewhere, Mac users should update as well. Apple has also released macOS Tahoe 26.5, which includes almost 70 security fixes, along with security updates for older Macs running macOS Sonoma and macOS Sequoia.
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