Are security updates realistically worth the potential issues in bugs in new iOS updates?

[kofman13]

So every year i have this dilema. to Update ios or not. In my experience, while a new major ios always added cool features i enjoyed, it almost always hampered performance or battery life in some way. But i never really thought of security updates as also another important update feature.
I have an iphone 13 pro currently on ios 16.5 and i am contemplating updating to ios 17 because a few of the features are nice, and people keep telling me i have to have the latest security updates. But when i look up "ios 17 issues" i see so many threads about UI bugs, terrible battery life, and more with ios 17 and 17.1.
So my question is.. in a real world scenario, are these security updates worth potential issues/problems that come with new major iOS? Performance/battery life would be something i would notice everyday

 

[The Clark]

I work in Cybersecurity so I'll try to address this responsibly and realistically.

Firstly, security updates are super important, and I would always recommend updating all of your devices to the latest STABLE software available. However, in this case, you are not just applying standard security updates but rather upgrading your entire OS so there's a lot more to consider here. You do not need to be on iOS 17/17.1 to have a secure and up-to-date device. Security updates will still channel through iOS 16, and if you search any OS followed by the word "issues" you'll always come across a multitude of problems. That doesn't mean you'll experience them, or that they're a definitive issue for everyone, it just means somebody, somewhere encountered a specific problem that may or may not be related to new software.

A big reason you're supposed to update your software regularly is to prevent attackers exploiting known vulnerabilities in your environment, however with iPhones you're generally pretty safe because of how tight Apple is with their security. Everything is very locked down with IOS and vetted thoroughly so your risks are minimal compared to say a desktop PC running an older version of Windows 10.

For what it's worth, I've been on iOS 17 for over a month, no issues or complaints at all.

 

[kofman13]

I work in Cybersecurity so I'll try to address this responsibly and realistically.

Firstly, security updates are super important, and I would always recommend updating all of your devices to the latest STABLE software available. However, in this case, you are not just applying standard security updates but rather upgrading your entire OS so there's a lot more to consider here. You do not need to be on iOS 17/17.1 to have a secure and up-to-date device. Security updates will still channel through iOS 16, and if you search any OS followed by the word "issues" you'll always come across a multitude of problems. That doesn't mean you'll experience them, or that they're a definitive issue for everyone, it just means somebody, somewhere encountered a specific problem that may or may not be related to new software.

A big reason you're supposed to update your software regularly is to prevent attackers exploiting known vulnerabilities in your environment, however with iPhones you're generally pretty safe because of how tight Apple is with their security. Everything is very locked down with IOS and vetted thoroughly so your risks are minimal compared to say a desktop PC running an older version of Windows 10.

For what it's worth, I've been on iOS 17 for over a month, no issues or complaints at all.

thanks for the great explanation. which iphone do you have running ios 17?

 

[InvertedGoldfish]

Based on recent updates no
But I guess it’s impossible to break into a phone after the battery dies lol

 

[The Clark]

thanks for the great explanation. which iphone do you have running ios 17?

I have the iPhone 14 Pro Max, but I'm sure the iPhone 13 will handle it well too.

 

[FeliApple]

No, they aren’t worth it. The trade is very easy to explain: you get theoretical, short-lived, temporary security and you give irreversible performance and battery life.

Say you have a Xs. You update for security. iOS 13 through 17 obliterate battery life when updated enough, and when Apple drops support on iOS 18... you have an “insecure” iPhone, with pathetic performance and battery life for essentially nothing.

The argument would still be extremely feeble and the answer would still be no, but it would be a little more robust if you could keep getting security updates for a very long time. You don’t get them, so it’s a permanent device obliteration for essentially nothing at all.

An iPhone Xs user on iOS 17 who recommends updating for this reason should grab one on iOS 12. I feel like people repeatedly forget what an iPhone should be like.