Apple may be testing restoring the iOS software on unresponsive or malfunctioning iPhones that wouldn't require connecting the device to a Mac or PC to use regular recovery mode.
Much of today’s jailbreak-centric news revolves around iOS & iPadOS 13 or 14, with one of the only lone exceptions being the iOS 12-based Chimera jailbreak, which recently received one of its final updates. Still, it’s not completely unheard of to see jailbreak developers work on or release projects related to legacy versions of iOS.
The latest example would be a new jailbreak tool dubbed kok3shi by SakuRα Development, which was only released just this evening. This jailbreak appears to be semi-untethered just like the tried-and-true Odyssey and unc0ver tools are, however unlike those tools, it supports only 64-bit devices running iOS 9.3.2-9.3.5.
Apple is reportedly tweaking its Software Update mechanism to support the delivery of standalone security fixes to iPhone and iPad users without installing the latest iOS version.
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This would be similar to macOS updates. A new toggle in your Automatic Updates settings. Get security fixes without installing an iOS update. The handy feature requires iOS 14.5 and could be nixed. Security fixes delivered separatelyYour Mac supports the delivery of security fixes separately from main macOS software updates. This is used, for example, to deliver critical security fixes to customers who happen to be using an older version of the macOS operating system. Android, Windows and other operating systems work like this, too, and now the same feature is reportedly coming to the iPhone and iPad owners with Apple's respective iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 updates.
9to5Mac has spotted interesting changes within the iOS 14.5 code suggesting that Apple is working on a new feature that would give customers the option to choose whether they would like to get the latest iOS updates separately from security fixes for the platform.
More specifically, the site has found a new toggle within the Automatic Updates menu that would let you choose whether you'd like to only receive security updates or full iOS updates.
There are no guarantees this feature will launch publicly but if it does, you'll be able to receive critical security fixes for your device without having to install the latest iOS version available.
How would this be beneficial?According to 9to5Mac, users may need to delete a specific iOS fix that they previously downloaded before being able to download another iOS update. "The new code found in iOS 14.5 also mentions that once you download a specific update, such as a security update, you may need to delete it before installing another available iOS update," reads the article.
→ How to stop automatic iOS updates
Apple could use this to continue offering security updates to folks on iOS 14 after the release of iOS 15. A good example is the recent iOS 14.4.1 update which only brought a security fix for a major WebKit vulnerability and nothing else—with the new system, Apple could only deliver the necessary fix without having to release a whole new iOS point update just for that.
When's iOS 14.5 coming out?Aside from this feature, iOS 14.5 will also bring the ability to unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch while wearing a mask, new Shortcuts actions, 200+ new emoji, support for Beast headphones in the Find My app, Waze-like reporting in Maps and more.
iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5 and other Apple OS updates are currently in developer testing, with a few additional betas likely in the works before the final builds are ready for prime time. Though Apple has not said when the updates are dropping, we're expecting an early-Spring launch.
Aside from bringing out Waze-like reporting and hazard features, Apple Maps is getting another feature similar to Google Maps: real-time crowdsourced information for points of interest, such as whether a business is currently open and how busy it is at the moment.
Apple has released the fourth betas of the upcoming iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, tvOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4, macOS Big Sur 11.3 and HomePod 14.5 software updates.
Apple is not holding its own personalized advertising system to the same standard as developers, according to a new complaint to the French regulator CNIL, filed this morning.
Your WhatsApp chats saved in iCloud could be read and shared with authorities when lawfully requested. That might change soon as the Facebook-owned messaging service has been working on a new privacy feature that would protect these iCloud backups with encryption.
Google has stopped supporting the official YouTube app on the third-generation Apple TV. As a result, customers are advised to use AirPlay as the only option for watching YouTube videos.
Facebook-owned WhatsApp is taking another page from Snapchat and other apps with a new privacy feature in testing that lets you set a self-destruct timer for image attachments.
Keeping true to its promise, Apple has officially removed the Voice Memos app from the App Store. The app launched in 2016 to give musicians ways to capture song ideas on their iPhone.
Aside from unlocking your iPhone with an Apple Watch, changing the default music player for Siri requests and other perks, iOS 14.5 adds several handy new actions to the Shortcuts app.
Safari in iOS and iPadOS 14.5 further limits the risk of information leak by proxying safe-browsing services via Apple servers to prevents user data from being returned to Google.