TL;DR

In this episode, you’ll learn whether to upgrade to the new versions of macOS, iOS, and iPadOS as soon as they are released.

You’ll also discover the 3 different kinds of OS updates on Apple gear.

You’ll gain insight into the benefits and risks of each update type, specifically for iPhones and Macs, and receive strategic advice on the best times to perform these updates.

Additionally, there’s a chance to win a 1-hour Mac coaching call with me by participating in a contest.

Original show notes available at https://macpreneur.com/episode45

This episode is part of season 1: https://macpreneur.com/season1

Full transcript

Introduction

New versions of macOS, iOS, and iPadOS are around the corner, and you might be wondering whether you should install them as soon as they ship or not.

Today’s your lucky day, as this is a rebroadcast of episode 45, which originally aired on September 29th, 2019, and covered the three kinds of operating system updates on Apple gear.

It’s part of what I retroactively called season one, and I apologize in advance for the lower production quality. Quoting Pat Flynn, one of my virtual mentors, you’ve got to be cringe before the binge.

Stick around till the end as I will talk about the contest that is taking place during the month of August.

For now, let’s jump into the DeLorean of Back to the Future. Let’s punch in September 29th, 2019, and as soon as the intro will be completed, enjoy a blast from the past.

Episode Outline

At the time of recording, iOS 13 has been officially released a week ago, and the adoption rate is already beyond 20%.

What is new this year is that the iPad got a dedicated operating system called iPadOS, which shipped on September 24, that is five days after the iPhone got the latest version.

So on the Mac side, macOS 10.15 Catalina is still being developed, and Apple has yet to announce the official release date.

If all goes as planned, it should happen before the end of October because I suspect Apple would like to be ready for the official launch of the new Apple TV Plus subscription service on November 1st, 2019.

The main goal of today’s episode is to help you decide whether or not you should update your Apple gear to the latest and greatest version of the operating system, and if so, when.

To do that, I’ve split the episode into three parts.

First, I’ll explore the three different kinds of operating system updates that Apple provides.

Second, I’ll talk specifically about the iPhone, and third, I’ll talk about the Mac.

Types of Apple Operating System Updates

So let’s start with the different kinds of operating system updates.

There are major updates, minor updates, and security updates.

Major Updates: Benefits and Risks

Okay, so major updates occur once a year and what’s happening is the main number is changing. So, for example, this year, we’re going from iOS 12 to iOS 13.

The advantages of major updates are that they bring many new features for the end user and also bring architectural improvements, so under-the-hood improvements for Apple itself and for developers, which usually translates into apps running faster and better battery life.

So, a lot of tweaks that actually make the Mac, iPhone, and iPad run better and faster.

Now, there are always risks and issues with a major update, especially around the time it is released. So, when it’s released, it’s usually very buggy.

I remember when iOS 10 was released, some iPads were actually bricked, so you had to restore them to factory settings if you wanted to be able to reuse them.

And if I recall correctly, with the High Sierra update, at the very beginning, there was an issue with Preview, which was stripping out all the OCR portion of PDFs. After reading or opening it with Preview, the OCR portion was gone.

And when we say bugs, bugs can be like what I just explained, but they can also bring security vulnerabilities.

When iOS 13.0 was released, there was a lock screen bypass, meaning that it was possible to actually exfiltrate and access the contacts database inside the phone without needing to know the iPhone passcode.

In addition to being buggy, because there are usually a lot of architectural changes to the operating system, third-party app developers, most of the time, need to update their apps to be compatible or to run without issues.

So it’s not only that the operating system could cause you problems, but you may not be able to use the apps that you rely upon just after the new update is out.

And in some cases, you can even have a loss of functionalities. For macOS Catalina, for instance, 32-bit applications are not supported anymore, and you could also sometimes lose compatibility with older peripherals if the peripheral manufacturers stopped creating drivers and publishing drivers for the latest version of macOS.

So these are the things that we, Macpreneurs, really have to think about.

That means we should be extremely careful about major updates. I would say that this actually requires some testing and some preparation before we decide to update or not, especially on the Mac.

So, by testing, I mean having a secondary device on which we could test the beta version or the existing version of the operating system to which we want to update.

And also making sure that the apps we use on a daily basis are compatible and will run smoothly.

Minor Updates: What to Expect

Okay. So now let’s talk about minor updates. Those occur multiple times between two major updates, and it’s a sub-level number change.

So for iOS, for instance, 13.0 becomes 13.1, and then 13.1 will become 13.2. Okay, why does Apple offer this kind of minor updates?

It’s mostly bug fixes mixed with security patches, and also from time to time, they introduce some cosmetic changes to the operating system.

For instance, with iOS, there was an update at 12.3, if I remember correctly, where the General About section changed.

It also happened before the change to iOS 11 when some of the apps were not compatible anymore. 32-bit apps were not compatible anymore, and there was a place where you could see all the 32-bit apps on your iPhone and your iPad.

And also from time to time, minor updates bring new features, and sometimes, new applications.

So, with macOS Yosemite 10.10.3, it’s at that point that Apple brought the Photos app to the Mac. So it was not brought immediately with Yosemite, it was brought three minor updates into the Yosemite release.

Now, what are the risks and the problems that we, Macpreneurs, might face?

There are fewer bugs than with major updates, but it’s still possible, especially when they change something, like they add a new application or they change something in the underlying part of the operating system.

So we, Macpreneurs, still should be careful about those minor updates.

That means that like with major updates, but maybe less extensively, we also need to do a bit of research and testing before we update.

And so it’s usually best to wait for three days to a week before doing it so that we can also have a look at Apple-related blogs and see if there are not other people who have some issues with their apps with the minor update that was released.

Security Updates: Importance and Timing

And so, the last kind of operating system update that Apple offers are security updates.

What are the risks for us Macpreneurs?

Usually, very little.

So, I would say in this case, we should apply those updates as soon as possible.

Most of the time, the machine needs to restart.

So, especially on the Mac front, this is something that you may want to do the weekend that’s coming just after the update was released.

Should You Upgrade?

Okay, so now let’s talk about whether we should upgrade, and if so, when we should upgrade, and let’s start with the iPhone.

So historically speaking, only the latest version of iOS received security updates.

That meant that if you had an older device that was not compatible with the latest version, well, you would be insecure. You could not use the device anymore.

At least I would say for us, Macpreneurs, we use it for professional reasons. And we have sensitive and confidential customer data on those devices.

Now it’s not true anymore.

Because, even though iOS 13 is out, Apple has just released iOS 12.4.2 to address some security vulnerabilities that were occurring on iOS 12.

And so, for the iPhone 5S, the 6, 6 Plus, iPad Air 1, all those devices that were stuck at iOS 12.

And that’s for me a positive sign that Apple is recognizing that yes, even though a device is not compatible with the latest version of iOS, it’s still in use and it’s still something that they should care about.

If I look at the list of devices that are patched, the oldest one was released in 2013, so six years ago, I think it’s good that Apple is making the effort.

I’m really happy to see that Apple now is also providing security fixes for older devices that are not compatible with the latest version of iOS.

Now if we talk about minor updates and security updates on the iOS side, I would say that we should turn on automatic updates for those, so that at least we are aware of them, and they are downloaded automatically, and we get a notification.

Please know that it will not apply the update and restart totally autonomously. You will need to enter; it will ask you actually to enter the device passcode when a restart is needed. So, I would say on the iOS platform, it’s best to have the automatic update.

Mac Update Strategy

Okay, so now let’s talk about the Mac. And since Apple supports the last three versions of macOS for security updates, for me, there is no rush to update to the latest one, especially with all the risk of bug issues and security issues.

So my advice for Macpreneurs is to stay one version behind the latest one if it’s possible.

That means waiting for a year before doing an upgrade. So what are the advantages of doing this?

Usually, you will encounter fewer bugs and less security risks.

And you won’t need to perform any minor updates because when you do the major update, you already and directly go to the very latest version of the operating system.

So let’s say you’re on High Sierra right now, and whenever Catalina will be out, you will upgrade to Mojave, then you will upgrade immediately to ten point fourteen point six.

So you won’t have six minor updates to do during the year. So this is an advantage.

The only thing that will happen for a year will be security updates.

So overall, I think the biggest advantage, if you think about not having bugs, not having downtime, is that it will save quite a lot of time by doing this.

Now, the disadvantage of staying one version behind is that yes, you won’t have the latest and greatest features and maybe sometimes the optimization of the system.

That’s true, and also you will have to cope with a nudge from Apple and a notification to update to the latest version.

Okay, so ready to do a major update because since I recommend doing it one version behind, it’s something that we would do around that time in the fall of the year.

Now, how to best prepare is you have to double-check that all the mission-critical applications that you use are compatible.

So for that, you will either visit the developer site, or you can visit a website called roaringapps.com, where I will put a link in the show notes.

Episode recap

Okay, so Macpreneurs should really prepare themselves and treat major updates very, very seriously.

If at all possible, allocate one device for beta testing purposes, both on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.

And then regarding which version to use or when to update, my advice is a bit different between iOS and macOS.

So on iOS, I recommend waiting at least until the first minor or security update, but ultimately, if your device is compatible, you will need to do it.

Even if you have an older device that is stuck one version behind the latest one, you can still keep using it.

On macOS, my recommendation is to stay at least one version behind the latest one on your main production machine.

And you could upgrade every year by staying one version behind, or you could decide to stay two versions behind and upgrade every two years. So, do a two-version jump rather than a one-version jump every year.

Contest Announcement

Before concluding this episode, there’s one more thing I’d like to mention.

If you’re listening to this in August 2024, you’ll have the chance to win a one-hour Mac coaching call with me worth 200 dollars.

To participate in the prize draw, it’s very simple.

Rate and review Macpreneur in Apple Podcasts by visiting macpreneur.com/review.

This will direct you to the show page. Scroll down to the bottom where you will be able to rate and review the show.

Take a screenshot and send it to me by email. The address is damien(at)macpreneur.com.

You have until August 31st, 2024, at midnight Pacific Time.

Beginning of September, I will randomly select one of you and announce the winner.

Once again, visit macpreneur.com/review.

Next and outro

In the next episode, I will rebroadcast Episode 46, which will help you safely perform a major operating system update on your Apple gear.

So, make sure to subscribe or follow this podcast to get it automatically next week. And until next time, I’m Damien Schreurs, wishing you a great day.

Thank you for listening to the Macpreneur Podcast. If you’ve enjoyed the show, please leave a review and share it with a friend right now.