By Eilidh Farquhar,Henry Burrell

Copyright dailyrecord

After waiting months for its release, Apple fans who own a iPhone 11 and up are now able to ditch the old iOS 18 operating system for the brand new iOS 26 . Launched on September 15, this shiny new software comes with a variety of new features for tech fans to enjoy. While many people will have already made the switch over the past couple of days to get their hands on the new design, some people may have chosen to ignore the update or aren’t aware that it is available. Updating your smartphone can be an irritating task at times, especially if the downloading process seems to never end, but security experts are urging all iPhone users to make the switch “as soon as possible” to make sure their device is fully protected from cyber attacks. Apple’s iOS 26 comes with a brand new design, which the tech giant has called Liquid Glass. This new look upgrades the device to a glassy sheen that is applied to app icons, notifications and more, reports the Express. New perks have also been added to core daily apps such as messages, photo and mail, with new skills including live translation and a handy call screening feature. It should be noted that iPhone users need to have an 11 model or later in order to receive this new software update. Along with these fun new additions to the iPhone display, another reason tech users should be updating their device is due to the new software also being developed to fix various flaws in the old system that can leave users vulnerable to cyber attacks. Adam Boynton, senior security strategy manager EMEIA at security firm Jamf, warned: “It’s essential that all iOS users update to iOS 26 without delay, as the release addresses multiple vulnerabilities that could be exploited for unauthorised access or cause system instability.” In order to keep their customers safe from hackers, Apple frequently pushes out iOS updates throughout the year. These are known as ‘point’ updates and are created to fix any urgent security issues impacting iPhones at the time. While iOS 26 is a huge update that has made many noticable changes to smartphones, it still contains crucial security updates. So like any other point update, tech users are being advised to install the latest software release as soon as they can. Boynton explained: “Apple has issued patches across several key components, including the Apple Neural Engine and AppleMobileFileIntegrity, where flaws could allow apps to crash the system or access sensitive data. “Security updates to WebKit, the underlying engine for Safari and other browsers, were also prioritised, fixing multiple vulnerabilities that could otherwise lead to unexpected process termination or compromise during web browsing.” He went on to advise: “We strongly recommend that organisations and individuals update to iOS 26 as soon as possible to protect devices and data from potential exploitation.” One reason many people have held off from downloading new iOS software is due to the belief that it will have a negative impact on their iPhone’s battery life. While Apple is firm on its stance that downloading new updates will not have a long term impact on the device’s battery, the tech giant has explained that users will see a drop in their battery right after installing iOS 26. Apple’s support page states: “Immediately after completing an update, particularly a major release, you might notice a temporary impact on battery life and thermal performance. “This is normal, as your device needs time to complete the setup process in the background, including indexing data and files for search, downloading new assets, and updating apps.”