Apple Breaks Decade-Old Routine, Releasing Security Patches Outside iOS Version Cycles Amid AI Threats

According to Reuters, Apple announced a significant shift in its security update strategy, moving away from bundling critical security patches with major iOS releases. Instead, the company will now push urgent security updates directly to users as they become available, breaking from its long-standing practice of releasing fixes primarily during version upgrades.

Apple cited the acceleration of malicious tool development powered by generative AI as the primary reason for the change. The company acknowledged that AI-driven techniques are compressing the window between vulnerability disclosure and exploitation, rendering the traditional model of waiting for iOS version releases insufficient for current threat conditions.