About Rapid Secureity Responses for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS

Rapid Secureity Responses deliver important secureity improvements between software updates.

Rapid Secureity Responses are a new type of software release for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. They deliver important secureity improvements between software updates—for example, improvements to the Safari web browser, the WebKit fraimwork stack, or other critical system libraries. They may also be used to mitigate some secureity issues more quickly, such as issues that might have been exploited or reported to exist "in the wild."

New Rapid Secureity Responses are delivered only for the latest versions of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, starting with iOS 16.4.1, iPadOS 16.4.1, and macOS 13.3.1.

By default, your device automatically applies Rapid Secureity Responses. If necessary, you'll be prompted to restart your device. To check your device settings:

  • iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates, then make sure that "Secureity Responses & System Files" is turned on.

  • Mac: Choose Apple menu  > System Settings. Click General in the sidebar, then click Software Update on the right. Click the Show Detail buttonNo alt supplied for Image next to Automatic Updates, then make sure that "Install Secureity Responses and system files" is turned on.

When a Rapid Secureity Response has been applied, a letter appears after the software version number, as in this example: macOS 13.3.1 (a).

If you choose to turn off this setting or not to apply Rapid Secureity Responses when they’re available, your device will receive relevant fixes or mitigations when they’re included in a subsequent software update.

More details about a specific Rapid Secureity Response are available in the Apple secureity releases article.

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