Apple Now Sending Critical Security Alerts to iPhones Running iOS 17 and Earlier

[bigandtasty]

Stoked to see my iOS 18 device is not getting harassed for the garbage update. No way Jose!

 

[Dustman]

I feel like this looks too much like an ad you'd see on a sketchy website, and will result in this warning going unheeded by a lot of non-techy people.

 

[Radeon85]

If people get bitten in the arse by an active security exploit because they refuse to update the OS when it’s available freely, then that’s their own fault and they have no right to complain.

 

[bigglow]

So basically 1 of 4 iPhones worldwide are impacted by this. My iPhone 16 Pro Max 256GB is running iOS 18.7.7

iOS Version Market Share (March 2026)

iOS Version	Philippines	United States	Worldwide	Oldest Prominent Supported Device
iOS 26 (Latest)	~40.5%	~68.2%	~55.9%	iPhone 11 / SE (2nd Gen)
iOS 18	~18.9%	~22.4%	~19.5%	iPhone XR / XS
iOS 17	~11.2%	~4.1%	~8.3%	iPhone XR / XS
iOS 16	~12.8%	~2.5%	~6.1%	iPhone 8 / iPhone X
iOS 15	~9.4%	~1.8%	~5.7%	iPhone 6s / iPhone 7
iOS 14 & older	~7.2%	<1.0%	~4.5%	iPhone 6 / 5s

 

[The Cockney Rebel]

I just don't get people who are so against iOS 26.

I'm happy with all of the OS 26 firmware.

You do know that you can practically turn off Liquid Glass, right?

 

[goldmac2006]

is this popping up for people on iOS 18 as well that are on devices capable of iOS 26? That would be interesting.

If so, some people might find iOS 26 upgrade a bit of a mixed bag who purposefully held off.

These are there because iOS 26 adoption rates are so low

 

[goldmac2006]

I just don't get people who are so against iOS 26.

I'm happy with all of the OS 26 firmware.

You do know that you can practically turn off Liquid Glass, right?

Correct. I can’t even build apps and run them with Liquid Glass nor use Xcode coding intelligence without it.

Devs can’t stay back iOS versions to make the latest apps.

 

[MacsRgr8]

Jailbreak community is gonna love this...

Wasn’t aware that still is a thing

 

[goldmac2006]

Wasn’t aware that still is a thing

Same here. Didn’t jailbreak slow down since iOS 14/15?

 

[Radeon85]

These are there because iOS 26 adoption rates are so low

Not from the stats Mac Rumours posted a while back. iOS 26 adoption rates are roughly on par with previous versions.

 

[klasma]

You do know that you can practically turn off Liquid Glass, right?

You really can't. You can reduce transparency and such, but you still have lower contrast, visual glitches, floating controls, and everything else people don’t like about the redesign.

 

[goldmac2006]

You really can't. You can reduce transparency and such, but you still have lower contrast, visual glitches, floating controls, and everything else people don’t like about the redesign.

Which is basically matting it out. Not eliminating glassEffect completely

 

[goldmac2006]

Not from the stats Mac Rumours posted a while back. iOS 26 adoption rates are roughly on par with previous versions.

Ohh it changed ? Did numbers go up since Apple pushed users to update their iPhones ?

 

[The Cockney Rebel]

You really can't. You can reduce transparency and such, but you still have lower contrast, visual glitches, floating controls, and everything else people don’t like about the redesign.

I have three Macs, an iPhone, and an iPad (well, two of them.)

No glitches at all.

 

[klasma]

Same here. Didn’t jailbreak slow down since iOS 14/15?

It's more niche than it used to be, but still exists: https://www.reddit.com/r/jailbreak/

 

[spazzcat]

I just don't get people who are so against iOS 26.

I'm happy with all of the OS 26 firmware.

You do know that you can practically turn off Liquid Glass, right?

There is a large part of the population that hates change. And I can tell you when you change something it pisses them off and it can be small or large change doesn't matter. I am a developer and have to deal with them all the time ...

 

[robvalentine]

Darksword exploit explanation https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/23/s...xploit-kit-that-can-hack-millions-of-iphones/
Google explains it further https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/darksword-ios-exploit-chain
TL;DR, iPhones running 18.7 (except XRs and XSes) are vulnerable to a zero-click wide range attack that can steal most if not all of one’s important data - and the solution is a just couple buttons away

Sadly an overreaction to a UI redesign trumps security to some users on here.

 

[vanishing]

If Apple can provide updates for older iOS’s then it seems petty not to provide it for iOS 18.

They created this LG mess by releasing untested alpha software, now they want to save face & brag at WWDC about install numbers.

I bet it’s toxic working for Apple if they are happy with this. Perhaps hanging out with young influencers has shifted their focus from customers to chasing clicks & clout.

 

[platinumaqua]

If they really cared they should release 17.7.10 and 16.7.15 to all originally supported phones since they’ve already done the hard work making them for certain devices

 

[klasma]

If Apple can provide updates for older iOS’s then it seems petty not to provide it for iOS 18.

IOS 18.7.2+ doesn't seem affected. At least that's what the jailbreakers are saying, who'd love to have a working exploit.

 

[Arran]

I'm cool, but thanks.

I don't bank on my phone, have any social media, or keep any sensitive data on it.

So you’re not signed into iCloud on it then? No keychain present? No contact details? No friend’s contact details (phone numbers or emails)?

You’re just using it as a dumb-phone, yes?

 

[sziehr]

how about it apple put the patches in ios 18 do the thing stop the 26 push to glass

 

[UliBaer]

They are simply desperate to raise the 26 adoption rate prior to the WWDC.

If they really cared they should release 17.7.10 and 16.7.15 to all originally supported phones since they’ve already done the hard work making them for certain devices

Yes, I would really like 17.7.10 on my 12 Pro, but Apple stubbornly refuses to deliver - so... ¯\_(シ)_/¯

 

[Dylan33x]

There is nothing wrong me with me staying on 18.7, other than Apple not being able to brag about it.

My understanding is it you’re on 18.7.3 you’re safe from dark sword. Also later versions of 17

 

[Dylan33x]

Ohhh yes there is, and if you can’t see it there are bigger issues at hand

Are your engagement farm style posts one of them?