Gerry Palmers Tech 09.01.2022 00:Sep AM EDT

Still Own Older iPhones, iPads? Apple Makes Rare Update for Older Devices to Address Critical Security Vulnerability

Do you still own an iPhone 5S or iPhone 6 or 6 Plus? Apple has made available a rare software update for older versions of its smartphones, which should compel users of these older iPhones to download it right away.

An update to the company's 2018 operating system iOS 12 addresses a major vulnerability that Apple recently patched in iOS 15. When updates to iOS 15 were made, these addressed vulnerabilities that could lead to arbitrary code execution. Apple says that it is aware that these vulnerabilities may have been actively exploited in the wild, so it is important to update right away.

The vulnerability addressed by the patch iOS 12.5.6 could allow a malicious website to run unchecked code on your phone if you open it in Safari or another browser. In addition, Apple says it's possible any individual from anywhere in the world could try to utilize this vulnerability to exploit. While this type of warning is quite common for the company, it still urges users to exercise a bit of caution before updating their devices.

You can download and install the update by going to Settings > General > Software Update. If your phone warns you that you don't have enough storage to install the update, you should take the effort to free up space by using online guides. Here's how to save on space.

How to Free Up Space on the iPhone

Check what's taking up space. You need to check what's taking up space on your iPhone by going to Settings, clicking on General, and tapping iPhone Storage. There, you'll find a list of files, media, and apps taking up so much space so and begin deleting accordingly. At a minimum, aim to delete at least 2GB of storage, so you'll have space to install more apps and take photos. You can then back up your important media files on iCloud.

Take note, however, that while the first 5GB of iCloud storage is free, you need to pay 99 cents every month for up to 50GB. There are also other, more expensive plans available if you need more space.

After you delete the photos, you should also be aware that the Apple stores pictures you deleted in the past 30 days are in the Recently Deleted folder in your Photos app - and will still be taking up space, so make sure you delete the Photos app as well. Just head to the Albums tab and look for Recently Deleted. Tap the Select button in the upper right corner and click on Delete All.

Get rid of large files, especially photos, videos. If you don't have time to decide what to delete or back up to iCloud, and you just want a quick and easy way to start freeing up some space, head back to Settings, tap on General, and click iPhone Storage. When you're there, click on Review Large Attachments, which is located below the color-coded bar that shows how much storage apps, photos, the system, and other settings are taking up. Here, you'll see a list of photos and videos you've sent or received in messages, which you can delete by placing your thumb on one, swiping to the left, and clicking the red Delete button.

Prioritize getting rid of the first couple at the top, which will likely be videos, as those occupy the most amount of storage. In my experience, I have found that deleting these sometimes gives me just the bit more storage I need if I'm on the go and don't have a lot of time to think through which apps, photos, or videos I really don't need anymore.

Set up your iPhone to save smaller size photos and leave larger-sized files on iCloud.You can also set up your iPhone so that it saves smaller photos while storing the original, larger-resolution images in iCloud, thus saving space. Under Settings, head to Photos, and make sure there's a checkmark next to Optimize iPhone Storage to turn that option on.

In all likelihood, you'll soon find that photos and videos are gobbling up a good chunk of your space. If you don't want to delete these forever, back up your photos and videos to a cloud storage service, like Apple's iCloud (you can learn exactly how to do that here). That way, you'll still have copies of your memories safely stored away before deleting them from your iPhone.

Delete old text conversations. On the topic of text messages, click on your Messages app and delete old conversations you don't need anymore. Your iPhone can also automatically delete messages if you'd like. Just head to Settings, scroll down and tap on Messages, and then click on the Keep Messages option under Message History. There, you'll be able to choose whether you'd like your phone to keep messages for 30 days, one year, or forever.

Delete or Offload apps. When you do have the time, you should definitely delete or offload apps you no longer want or use. Apple conveniently shows you the last time you used certain apps when you head to Settings, select General, and click iPhone Storage, so that can help make this process faster and easier.

If you don't want to lose data associated with the app, you can offload them instead. By doing that, your documents and data will still be available when you reinstall it. To offload, you just need to head back to Settings, click on General, and once again tap on iPhone Storage. Click on the app and select Offload App.

How to Update your iPhone Automatically or Manually

You can set your iPhone to update itself automatically, or manually update it yourself. Here's what you should know.

The easiest (and most secure) way to manage iPhone updates is to let your device handle it.

Here's how to make sure your iPhone is ready to update automatically:

1. Open the Settings app and tap General.

2. 2. On the General page, tap Software Update.

3. On the Software Update page, tap Automatic Updates.

4. To let the iPhone do everything automatically, be sure both the Download iOS Updates and Install iOS Updates buttons are turned on by swiping them to the right, turning them green.

Your iPhone will download update files to the phone and then install them automatically overnight when your phone is charging and locked.

If you want to manage updates yourself, or the phone isn't installing updates automatically for some reason, you can do it yourself.

1. Open the Settings app and tap General.

2. On the General page, tap Software Update. Your phone will check to see if there's an update available.

3. If there is an update available, tap Download and Install. Agree to the terms and conditions, and wait while the update downloads to your phone.

4. Finally, tap Install to complete the update.

The iOS 12.5.6 update's also available for some other past generation Apple devices, such as the original iPad Air, the iPad Mini 2 and 3, and the sixth-gen iPod Touch. If you still use any of these gadgets, it's best to take some time to download and update you software right away.