Millions of iPhone owners urged to check their devices immediately – or risk big cost

CYBER-EXPERTS are urging Apple fans to update their gadgets immediately.

Millions of iPhone owners have been told that they should update to the latest version of iOS.

AppleYour iPhone has a brand new update that you need to install[/caption]

iPhone updates often include new features.

But they also bundle in important security patches that you shouldn’t ignore.

“Apple has just published a wide range of security fixes for all its supported platforms, from the smallest watch to the biggest laptop,” explained cyber-security firm Sophos.

“In other words, if you’ve got an Apple product, and it’s still officially supported, we urge you to do an update check now.”

The cyber-experts warned that even if you have automated updates turned on, you should still manually check.

That means going into Settings > General > Software Update.

“It ensures that you catch up if something went wrong with your last automatic update,” said Sophos cyber-expert Paul Ducklin.

“It jumps you to the head of the queue so that even if you haven’t yet been alerted to the update by Apple, you’ll be able to get it at once anyway.”

You need to update to at least iOS 16.1.2, although downloading the newer iOS 16.2 is preferable.

Apple has warned that a bug potentially allows hackers to take control of your device – and it may already have been exploited.

“Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution,” Apple explained.

“Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited against versions of iOS released before iOS 15.1.”

Hackers prey on you by hoping you visit a malicious web-page, then using the bug to infiltrate your device.

But cyber-experts say updating your iPhone is the best course of action, because it totally prevents the hack.

Sadly, not all iPhone models can get the latest iOS 16 update.

Here’s a list of the all the supported devices:

iPhone 14iPhone 14 PlusiPhone 14 ProiPhone 14 Pro MaxiPhone 13iPhone 13 miniiPhone 13 ProiPhone 13 Pro MaxiPhone 12iPhone 12 miniiPhone 12 ProiPhone 12 Pro MaxiPhone 11iPhone 11 ProiPhone 11 Pro MaxiPhone XsiPhone XS MaxiPhone XRiPhone XiPhone 8iPhone 8 PlusiPhone SE (2nd generation or later)

If your iPhone is too old to be updated, you should consider upgrading as soon as possible.

Otherwise you may be in danger of hack attacks that your device can’t defend against.

It’s dangerous to use an unpatched device, so using up-to-date handsets is very important.

Thankfully iOS 16.2 does much more than just boost your security.

Here are three new features you’ll want to look out for.

iOS 16.2 update features

The big news is that Apple has rolled out a brand new app called Freeform.

This is basically a giant whiteboard that you can share with friends and work on together.

“Freeform opens up endless possibilities for iPhone, iPad, and Mac users to visually collaborate,” said Apple’s Bob Borchers, talking about the latest iOS update.

“With an infinite canvas, support for uploading a wide range of files, iCloud integration, and collaboration capabilities, Freeform creates a shared space for brainstorming that users can take anywhere.”

Apple Music users can now also access a new karaoke mode.

It’s called Apple Music Sing, and introduces two new features to the Spotify rival.

Songs now feature a Sing slider that you can use to quieten or even near-silence vocals in a song.

You can control this simply by tapping the microphone on a Sing-approved song.

The other element of the feature is real-time lyrics.

Instead of showing lyrics line by line, Sing tracks will highlight lyrics by syllables.

This should help you sing along even if you’re not familiar with the song.

If a song has background vocals, these will be shown in a smaller font between the main lines.

And for a duet track, the song will split the lyrics on the left and right of the screen, depending who is singing.

The new iOS 16.2 also adds support for Emergency SOS via Satellite in the UK.

The feature works on all iPhone 14 models, and lets you call emergency services with no phone signal or WiFi.

It’s completely free to use for two years from the first time you activate your iPhone 14.

“Emergency SOS via satellite can help you connect with emergency services under exceptional circumstances when no other means of reaching emergency services are available,” Apple explained.

“If you call or text emergency services and can’t connect because you’re outside the range of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage, your iPhone tries to connect you via satellite to the help that you need.”

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