Apple says it is time to update to iOS 15

While iPhone users aren't being forced to update to iOS 15, Apple's decision to end security updates for its older OS mean users may actually have little choice. — AFP

If you want security updates, you need to be using the latest version of iOS.

I’m guessing there are a great number of people — my mom included — who never give a thought to what version of iOS is running on their iPhones. They just use the phone and don’t ever worry about software updates.

Of course, my mom doesn’t need to think about it since she has me. And I know that Mom’s iPhone SE is running iOS 14, which is what came on the phone when she bought it.

Apple traditionally introduces a new version of iOS at its Worldwide Developer Conference each June and makes it available to the public in the fall.

When Apple released iOS 15 last September, it gave users the option to stay with iOS 14 or update to the newest version.

Users could choose which version they wanted and Apple continued to support iOS 14 with security patches.

Well, we knew that wasn’t going to last forever. If you read the fine print, Apple said back in September that standalone security patches for iOS 14 would only be available “for a period of time.”

Guess what — time’s up.

Last week, Apple released iOS 15.2.1, and it also stopped releasing security updates for iOS 14.

Users aren’t forced to update to iOS 15. The newest version of iOS does bring some new features but nothing earth-shattering.

You are perfectly welcome to keep using the version of iOS 14 you have installed, but you’ll get no more security patches, which will make your phone vulnerable to hacking in the future.

This weekend when I’m visiting my mom, I’ll be updating her iPhone and iPad to iOS 15.

There really isn’t a reason not to upgrade. If your iPhone or iPad is compatible with iOS 15, you should do it.

It’s free, it only takes 20 minutes or so, and your device will be up-to-date and safe.

Some people didn’t want to upgrade when iOS 15 was released because there were reports that phones or tablets ran really slow with the new version.

I’ve seen no evidence of slowness in any device running iOS 15, and there have been tests run on iPhones released as far back as 2016 with no slowdowns.

If you’d like to see whether your phone or tablet needs the update, open Settings on your device, scroll down to General and then open Software Update.

And do yourself a favor and turn on Automatic Updates while you’re there. – The Dallas Morning News/Tribune News Service