Security updates: “Silent” installation in future iOS versions?

Again and again massive security gaps occur in Apple’s operating systems – so far, so normal. The problem: users can be used for far too long until they import the often critical updates. Because the update process is always associated with disruption: systems have to restart, the workflow is disturbed. In addition, technical difficulties and incompatibilities can occur, which also keeps some users from fast updates.

At least the slow update process wanted to accelerate Apple with so-called RSRS, which stands for Rapid Security Response. However, these are very rarely used and are sometimes only minimally faster. For this reason, Apple now seems to have been striving for another methodology for iOS 26, as code experts have discovered: the so-called background security improvements (BSI)

Still update = fast update

According to a report by the MacWorld First information was discovered in the first beta of iOS 26.1. Apparently the BSIs are the successors of the RSRs. What is new is apparently that security gaps should also be stuffed in the background – “silent”, ie quietly. Manual updates are no longer necessary.

However, it is still unclear whether a restart is necessary: ​​Even if BSI bears the “background” for background in the name, this should not always be technically possible. The RSRS also theoretically had the opportunity to get by without restarting, but this was rarely the case.

Patches without reboot?

According to MacWorld, there should be a built -in way to reverse problematic patches. How exactly this rollback works remains unclear. Apple had already had to patch an RSR update in 2023. The BSIs should also come for other Apple platforms, including MacOS.

The Apple Blog 9to5mac meanwhile reports that Apple Working on new possibilities to exchange critical components of the system without reboot. However, a new security model is necessary for this. It is still unclear whether this is part of the BSI strategy and both changes will be rolled out at the same time.