Apple released iOS 10.3 on Monday, and it comes with a new feature that frees up space on people’s portable devices. Also, the company fixed a bug that scammers were using to con people with Safari.
Among other upgrades coming with the latest software update are a new Settings menu, more Siri capabilities open to developers, and the ability to locate your AirPods using the Find My iPhone feature.
iOS 10.3 is the most recent major update to Apple’s flagship operating system for mobile devices. Previous versions handled security holes in the platform and addressed minor fixes in popular applications that somehow misbehaved after extended use.
Update iOS to remove Safari’s scareware
With the new software build for iPhone, Apple is addressing a month-long open backdoor in Safari that allowed hackers to trick users into thinking they had been locked out of their phones.
Scammers used the mobile browser bug to fish for innocent web surfers. They placed pop-ups that contained malicious code in popular sites to fish for unsuspecting web surfers.
When they triggered the ad, the web browser would collapse and show several dialog boxes with a fake message. According to reports, the scammers claimed they were working with a law enforcement agency and that they had locked the phone looking for pornographic content.
It is known in the industry as ‘scareware,’ a type of malware that has no real effect other than to induce fear or shame in the user and trigger him or her to do what the attacker wants.
In the case of the security agency message, it said that people could unlock their browser and use it normally once again if they paid a £100 ($125) iTunes gift card to someone via text.
APFS makes everything smaller in Apple devices
APFS or Apple File System is a new proprietary standard by the Cupertino-based company that is oriented towards SSD and flash storage. Its low latency also makes system performance more seamless, with some apps reporting faster loading times.
This new system manages files differently, so many users have reported some newly-gained storage space on their devices after installing the update. Apple has also developed APFS with encryption in mind in the foundations of the platform.
The only downside is perhaps the significant workload that it poses for mobile phones and tablets: at more than 650 MBs, iOS 10.3 takes a considerable time to download and install, but the payoff is worth it according to up-to-date users.
Source: Computerworld