Apple just released iOS 16.5.1 (c), and you need to install it now

July 13, 2023 TH Author

OK, if you’re the sort of person who pays attention to Apple updates, you might have noticed some weird stuff happening with iOS updates.

Earlier this week, the company pushed out the iOS 16.5.1 (a) to iPhones, but the update was pulled shortly after following reports that it broke the Safari browser when used to visit websites like Facebook, Instagram, and Zoom. The update was to fix a security bug with the WebKit browser engine that was being actively exploited in the wild, so it was considered critical.

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And if you thought that we’d already had an iOS 16.5.1 update, you’d be right. This was released at the end of June and also focused on WebKit bugs.

Well, now we have iOS 16.5.1 (c) (along with iPadOS 16.5.1 (c) for the iPad), which hopefully fixes the WebKit issue without breaking the Safari browser.

iOS 16.5.1 (c) update — Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

This is how Apple describes this update: “Rapid Security Responses iOS 16.5.1 (c) and iPadOS 16.5.1 (c) include the security content of Rapid Security Responses iOS 16.5.1 (a) and iPadOS 16.5.1 (a) and fix an issue that prevents some websites from displaying properly.”

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Updates with the (a) and (c) designations are called RSR releases, which is short for “Rapid Security Responses.” These are security-only updates and don’t contain new features.

To manually install iOS 16.5.1 (c), tap on Settings then General > Software Update. Then, tap Download and Install to kick off the update and keep your iPhone safe.