Apple ships iOS 26.5.2 with about 30 security fixes

With nearly thirty security updates focused on WebKit and web-related technologies, Apple released iOS 26.5.2 on Sunday.

Updates with the same version number were released for both macOS and iPadOS.

No new features, just patches

There are no new features in the update. Apple’s release notes direct users to the company’s security content page, which lists specific vulnerability patches. WebKit, the browser engine that powers Safari and other third-party iOS browsers, is the focus of most of the fixes.

Although the public release of iOS 27 is still months away, Apple released a preview earlier in June. The company is using point releases to maintain its current software line in the interim.

According to 9to5Mac, iOS 26.6 is currently in beta testing, but it doesn’t seem to have many user-facing changes yet. Users of iPhones can install the update by going to Settings, then General, and finally Software Update.

Apple told Reuters it’s compressing the gap between announcing fixes and shipping them, because AI is speeding up how fast attackers can build exploits out of known flaws.

The company said there’s no evidence yet that any of the newly patched vulnerabilities have been exploited. The modification deviates from Apple’s custom of including security patches in complete OS releases.

Older iPads face a harder upgrade path

The update comes at a challenging time for Apple’s range of devices. According to Cryptopolitan, iPadOS 27 will not be available for five iPad models with A12 and A12X chips this fall. The iPad Air (3rd generation), iPad mini (5th generation), both 2018 iPad Pro sizes, and the 2020 iPad (8th generation) are among the 2018–2020 models impacted.

Apple continues to provide security updates for outdated operating systems. Owners of dropped hardware are not immediately exposed because iPadOS 18.7.9 arrived about a month ago, according to Cryptopolitan. However, users are unable to revert to a firmware version that might function better on their hardware due to the company’s policy of “unsigning” outdated firmware.

The cost of replacing those devices has increased since the previous quarter. On June 25, Apple increased the price of iPads; the base model went from $349 to $449, while the iPad Pro went from $999 to $1,199. Apple told CNBC that the construction of AI data centers led to an exceptional demand for memory and storage components, which caused costs to rise more quickly than the company had previously experienced.

In Q1 2026, smartphone DRAM prices increased by 50%, while NAND flash storage prices increased by more than 90%, according to Tarun Pathak, research director at Counterpoint Research.

Apple had previously overturned a similar decision regarding device support. Stage Manager on iPadOS 16 was first limited to M1 iPads in 2022, but following public criticism, Apple extended compatibility to the 2018 and 2020 iPad Pro models during the beta period.

About three weeks have passed since the iPadOS 27 beta was released, giving the company time to revise the cutoff list before the fall release.

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