SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 18, 2026, 02:18 (PST)
- Apple is pushing users to install iOS 26.2 or iOS 18.7.3 after it flagged attacks exploiting iOS flaws.
- iOS 26 adoption has looked unusually slow, with debate over whether tracking data understates it.
- Security researchers say restarting iPhones can disrupt some spyware, but updates remain the fix.
Apple is pressing iPhone users to install iOS 26.2 or iOS 18.7.3 after it flagged active attacks exploiting flaws in its software, with some users also being urged to restart devices that have not been updated. (The Economic Times)
The squeeze matters because the company is trying to close a security gap at a moment when many owners appear to be sitting on older software, a pattern Apple does not often face this deep into an iPhone update cycle.
That hesitancy has also been hard to measure cleanly. Web analytics firm StatCounter said Apple’s Safari browser has been misreporting some iOS 26 devices as iOS 18 versions, and said it was working on a fix. (StatCounter Global Stats)
In a report on Jan. 17, Forbes said Apple’s decision on how it delivers updates meant that “from Dec. 12 onwards” hundreds of millions of iPhones “had to upgrade to iOS 26,” with “no more delaying.” (Forbes)
Apple-focused outlet Cult of Mac, citing StatCounter data for January, said only about 15% of iPhone users had installed some version of iOS 26 roughly four months after its mid-September launch, and pointed to the “Liquid Glass” redesign as a likely factor. Liquid Glass is Apple’s new translucent interface look, with see-through elements and blur effects. (Cult of Mac)
Ars Technica argued the picture is “complicated,” saying the headline adoption figures can look worse than they are and noting that Liquid Glass backlash alone does not explain the whole gap. (Ars Technica)
Apple has not publicly detailed the targets, but in its security notes it said it was “aware of a report” that WebKit issues “may have been exploited” in an “extremely sophisticated attack” against specific individuals on versions of iOS before iOS 26. WebKit is Apple’s browser engine that underpins Safari and, on iPhones, the browsing layer used by other browsers. (Apple Support)
Apple’s security advisory shows iOS 26.2 was released on Dec. 12, 2025 for iPhone 11 and later, bundling fixes for a wide range of issues, including WebKit vulnerabilities that can be triggered by malicious web content. (Apple Support)
For older devices that cannot run iOS 26, Apple released iOS 18.7.3 the same day for models including iPhone XS, XS Max and XR, according to its security documentation. (Apple Support)
Security researchers say restarts can help in the narrow window before users update. Malwarebytes researcher Pieter Arntz wrote that “when you restart your device, any memory-resident malware is flushed—unless it has somehow gained persistence.” (Malwarebytes)
But there are caveats. The attacks Apple described were targeted, and rebooting is not a patch; it can only disrupt some malware temporarily if the underlying flaw remains. The broader uncertainty is whether the update pressure is a lasting shift in Apple’s approach or a short-term response to a specific threat and messy telemetry.
Apple has long sold fast, broad software rollout as a key advantage against Android rivals that rely on carriers and multiple handset makers to push updates. The slower iOS 26 take-up — and the debate over whether it is being undercounted — tests that narrative as Apple leans harder on big-version upgrades to keep devices protected.
