The latest iPhone update is a first-of-a-kind. It’s a Background Security Improvements update which is quickly installed — or removed. Should you install it?

Apple is encouraging people to update their iPhones in light of new research that has pointed to vulnerabilities in older versions of the iOS operating system.

Most people had been waiting for iOS 26.4 as the next iPhone software, but no, almost out of nowhere, iOS 26.3.1 popped up. And it was a surprise in another way, too: minor point updates are almost ...