Apple released iOS 27.2 on Monday, Oct. 26, just a few days after the launch of the iPhone Duo. While iOS 27.2 brings Siri AI to more languages and updates a few other features, it also patches 141 bug and security issues, including some that could allow a third-party to access data or run commands on your iPhone.
You can download iOS 27.2 now by going to Settings > General > Software Update > Update Now and following the prompts on your screen.
According to Apple’s release notes, iOS 27.2 patches dozens of issues across your iPhone. Some of these issues can cause some serious problems for you and your device.
Nine of these bugs address issues that could lead to kernel corruption on your device. The kernel is the core of your device’s operating system, and kernel corruption can cause your device to freeze or crash. The blue screen of death, for example, could be caused by kernel corruption.
Apple also wrote that seven of these bugs could lead to arbitrary code execution. That means the bug could allow a third party to steal your data or use your device for other nefarious purposes.
The update addresses a lot of other bugs, including one that you might run into if you plug a malicious USB into your device. Apple didn’t write that any of these bugs were being actively exploited, but you should still update to iOS 27.2 now to give yourself the most protection.
For as many bugs as 27.2 fixes, it’s actually a slight decrease from earlier updates. Last month’s iOS 27 update patched even more bugs at 157. The number of bug fixes in both iOS updates are unusual based on data over the past few years. In iOS 26, the most bug fixes included in an update was 88 with iOS 26.6. The update with the next highest number of patches was iOS 18.4 with 75.
Apple didn’t say why there’s been an uptick in the number of bug fixes in iOS updates. Artificial intelligence has been used recently to find and address huge numbers of software bugs; however, that doesn’t appear to be the cause behind the surge in iOS 27.2 or iOS 27. Apple usually notes when a bug is found with the help of AI, yet OpenAI is mentioned four times in iOS 27.2’s release notes, and Claude’s Anthropic is only mentioned thrice.
Apple didn’t immediately respond to my request to comment.
For more iOS news, here’s what you should know about iOS 27.2 and iOS 27.1. You can also check out our iOS 27 cheat sheet.
