Apple has started rolling out another test security improvement update to users running Developer Beta versions of iOS 26.3, iPadOS 26.3, and macOS Tahoe 26.3. This update comes just two days after the release of Security Update (a).
Background Security Improvements is a feature that has been present on devices since the release of version 26.1, and it seems like it is finally being utilized.
To receive this update, you can go into Settings>Privacy and Security>Background Security Improvements and see iOS/iPadOS/macOS 26.3 (b) on the screen. According to Apple, “This Background Security Improvement is for testing purposes only and does not contain any security fixes.”
However, this feature aims to bring regular security improvements, similar to the ones in full software updates (26.x.x), resulting in quicker updates, since it only requires a restart after downloading.
We can expect the second betas to be released next week instead of this week. If we check last year’s pattern, iOS 18.3 Beta 2 was released on January 7, 2025 so there is a small chance for Beta 2 to be released this week, although highly unlikely.
Users who are registered as a developer on www.developer.apple.com can opt in to receive beta updates by going into Settings>General>Software Update>Beta Updates and selecting Developer Beta. Do note that these versions are not stable and are meant for testing purposes.
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