Why you should update your iPhone and iPad right now

Apple has started to roll out iOS 15.2.1 and iPadOS 15.2.1 updates for iPhone and iPad users. The update is available for iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation) via over-the-air update in the device’s Settings app. You can check if you received the update by going into Settings > General > Software Update. If you have received the update you can install it in your phone from the same page. Keep in the mind that the update does not immediately appear for download for every user. This is a quite minor update for the devices but it addresses a vulnerability that can make your Apple iPhone or iPad completely unusable.

Why you should update your iPhone and iPad right now

The vulnerability was discovered by security researcher Trevor Spiniolas last year. As explained by researcher in his blog post, Apple added a limit on the length of name for a Home accessory with iOS 15.1. After the update, when a name of a HomeKit device is changed to a large string (500,000 characters in researcher’s testing), any device with iOS 15.1 or later will be disrupted, even after rebooting. The blog further reveals that the bug will be triggered again when you sign back into the iCloud account linked to the HomeKit device after restoring your iPhone. It is worth noting that the bug can also affect users who do not have any Apple Home device added on their iPhone. This can happen if you accept an invitation to a Home that contains a HomeKit device with a large string as its name.

With the latest update, the tech giant has fixed this bug. Once you have installed the iOS 15.2.1 or iPadOS 15.2.1, you are safe from the mentioned vulnerability. Apart from this, Apple has also started to seed second betas of iOS 15.3 and iPadOS 15.3 to developers.

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