Oliver Haslam on March 18, 2026, 5:35 pm

Apple Releases New Background Security Improvement Update For iPhone, iPad, And Mac

Apple has released its first-ever Background Security Improvement update to the public, with the iPhone, iPad, and Mac included in the rollout.

While there are three platforms covered by the updates, there are actually four versions of the updates available for download.

That’s because Apple has released versions for both macOS 26.3.1 and 26.3.2, likely because the new MacBook Neo runs the latter out of the box.

That means that the four updates available for download currently:

iOS 26.3.1 (a) for iPhone
iPadOS 26.3.1 (a) for iPad
macOS 26.3.1 (a) for Mac
macOS 26.3.2 (a) for Mac

The new Background Security Improvement brings a new patch for Apple’s WebKit system. These updates are always designed to address key security issues, ensuring they are dealt with as soon as possible. Apple would previously have to wait until a bigger update to roll these fixes into.

Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may bypass Same Origin Policy

Description: A cross-origin issue in the Navigation API was addressed with improved input validation.

You can install the new update via the Privacy & Security update section of the Settings app on an iPhone or iPad. The same section within the System Settings app is the place to go if you’re on a Mac. We recommend setting your devices up to automatically install these updates so you don’t have to check manually.