4 Reasons Not to Install iOS 16.3.1 & 11 Reasons You Should

4 Reasons Not to Install iOS 16.3.1 & 11 Reasons You Should is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

Apple’s iOS 16.3.1 update could have a huge impact on your iPhone’s performance. While some iPhone users should install the software right now, others might want to wait before moving up from iOS 15 or older versions of iOS 16.

iOS 16.3.1 is the latest upgrade for iOS 16 users and it’s available to download right now if you own an iPhone 8 or newer, all the way up to the new iPhone 14 series.

Apple’s newest software brings a trio of new bug fixes and three extremely important security patches to compatible iPhone models.

The iOS 16.3.1 update requires a fairly small download if you’re moving your iPhone up from 16.3. It will be larger for those of you moving up from older versions of iOS. That’s because the features and fixes from the updates you skipped are baked into your version of the update.

Those of you dealing with issues on iOS 16.3 or an older version of iOS could see a huge turnaround after installing iOS 16.3.1. We’re already hearing about positive changes. That being said, we’re also hearing about various bugs and performance problems.

If you do run into an issue, note that you can’t downgrade your iPhone’s software back to iOS 16.3. The company isn’t signing on older versions of iOS either.

This means those of you having a great experience on iOS 16.3 and older versions of iOS need to approach the iOS 16.3.1 update with caution. Once you make the move, there’s no going back to your phone’s current version of iOS.

If you’re currently debating a move to iOS 16.3.1, allow us to walk you through the best reasons to install the software today and the best reasons to hang around on your current version of iOS 16 for a little bit longer.

Install iOS 16.3.1 for Better Security

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If security is important to you, think about installing Apple's iOS 16.3.1 update on your iPhone right away.

The iOS 16.3.1 update has three security patches on board including one for an actively exploited vulnerability. This makes it a very important release. For more on the security contents of iOS 16.3.1, check out Apple's security page.

As for older software, iOS 16.3 brought 10+ new security patches with it and you can learn more about all of those right here.

In addition, the software came with support for physical security keys for Apple ID. These will beef up your account security by requiring a physical security key as part of the two factor authentication sign in process. Learn more about the change right here.

If you skipped iOS 16.2, you'll get its changes with iOS 16.3.1. iOS 16.2 brought a ton of important security patches with it and you can dig into the details on Apple's security site.

The update also brought end-to-end encryption to iCloud, iMessage, iPhone backups, Notes, Photos, and more. If you want to learn more about it, head over to Apple's guide.

If you decided to missed iOS 16.1.2, you'll get its solitary security patch with your upgrade. Learn more about it right here.

If you skipped iOS 16.1.1, you'll get its security patches when you upgrade. You can learn more about them right here.

If you missed the iOS 16.1 update, it brought 19 security patches to the iPhone and you can learn about the particulars of those over on Apple's website.

If you failed to download iOS 16.0.3, it had one security patch on board, a fix for a potential exploit within the Mail app. For more about the fix, check out Apple's security site.

If you're still running iOS 15 your iPhone, you'll get a bunch of other patches when you upgrade.

iOS 16.0 brought a ton of security patches to the iPhone. If you're interested in the exact nature of these improvements, you can read about them over on Apple's security website.

In addition to those patches, iOS 16 brings some additional enhancements to privacy and security including Safety Check which, according to Apple, will help "people in domestic or intimate partner violence situations review and reset the access they’ve granted others."

The feature also resets system privacy permissions for apps and restricts Messages and FaceTime to the device on hand.

Apple's also made some improvements to Passkeys in Safari. iOS 16 brings a brand new sign-in method that's end-to-end encrypted and safe from phishing and data leaks.