Apple has issued several security and feature updates over the past month. The most recent:
Apple VisionPro – visionOS 2.2 — security, plus additional Apple Intelligence functions
Apple TV — tvOS 18.2 — security update
Apple Watch — watchOS 11.2 — security, and additional Apple Intelligence functions
macOS Ventura — Ventura 13.7.2 — security update
macOS Sonoma — Sonoma 14.7.2 — security update
macOS Sequoia — Sequoia 15.2 — security, plus additional Apple Intelligence functions
Trivia: sequoia is a seven-letter word that uses all five vowels: a, e, i, o, and u. This means nothing, but if you misspell Sequoia, it is probably because you left out a vowel.
iPad — iPadOS 17.7.3 — security update
iPad — iPadOS 18.2 — security, plus additional Apple Intelligence functions
iPhone — iOS 18.2 — security, plus additional Apple Intelligence functions
AirPods Pro 2 — firmware updates to allow the AirPods Pro 2 to act as a hearing aid when used with an iPhone or iPad running iOS 18.2 or iPadOS 18.2. Since AirPods don’t come with a screen, it is not obvious what firmware version they are using, but you can find out how to check in an Apple Technical Note:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/106340
Security updates
Most of the security updates are focused on further locking down web-based functions. While you mainly think of the web in terms of Safari, Apple’s web browser, there are web functions built into Contacts, Mail, Pages, Numbers, Photos, Messages — almost anything that Apple creates that touches the Internet. You might see that Safari has also been updated, but all of the listed security updates include the updated Safari.
Apple Intelligence
Two important things to note: first, Apple Intelligence puts you, the user, in control of Apple Intelligence, which means among other things that you have to turn it on. To learn how to use Apple Intelligence on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, the easiest way to learn about it is to use the Tips application on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
Among the many pages of information on how to use Apple Intelligence, pay particular note to ChatGPT functions. By default, Apple anonymizes (protects your identity) when using Apple Intelligence, but ChatGPT has an option of allowing you to log into ChatGPT and allow ChatGPT to keep track of your prior requests. This is not recommended, but it is an option.
Messaging security
There have been several alarming news stories about security when using instant messaging (SMS, or Short Message Service). SMS is limited to 160-character messages, and if you sent a message to someone not on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac and the message was over 160 characters long, it would be broken into multiple parts. This paragraph, for example, is 450 characters long (not 450 words, but 450 characters) and would be broken into three parts.
Apple Messages has no such limitation, and in addition to text messages, Apple Messages can send emoji, memoji, genmoji (customized emoji created with Apple Intelligence), video, audio, documents, etc. And long messages are not broken into parts, unless you decide to break them apart.
If you are sending from an Apple device to an Apple device, your message is encrypted end-to-end, and no one can intercept and read the message. If you send something to a non-Apple device, such as a phone or tablet running an Android operating system (Google Pixel, Motorola Razr, Samsung Galaxy, etc.), it can’t be encrypted end-to-end. Not “Apple won’t encrypt it” but Apple can’t encrypt it. There are a number of technical reasons for this, but if you have a Messages conversation with anyone and you see green text bubbles instead of blue, your conversation is not encrypted, and can be intercepted and read by anyone with some inexpensive technology.
This isn’t an issue as long as you aren’t writing about illegal activities or sending sensitive medical, legal, or financial information. But do keep in mind that your security in any given electronic exchange is only as good as that of the participants in that exchange. If your part is secure but anyone else in the conversation is not, the conversation is, by definition, insecure.