One of Apple's key talking points when it comes to selling the iPhone is privacy and security, as anyone who watches its TV ads will know. The company goes out of its way to minimize tracking on its devices, much to the annoyance of companies like Meta and Google. It's also a tough target for phishers and hackers, although Android devices are increasingly secure in that respect too.
Because of all these dangers, it's wise to know the ins and outs of iOS security features. Something coming to your iPhone alongside iOS 26.1 is Background Security Improvements -- here I'll explain what those are, how to toggle them, and why the concept might seem very familiar if you've owned an iPhone for a while.
What are Background Security Improvements?
An odd policy reversal
Typically, Google is quicker to update Android than Apple is to update iOS. That's because many parts of Android are compartmentalized -- Google can change something in Maps, Chrome, or Play Services without having to update the operating system as a whole, unlike Apple. There are still major revisions of Android, but these tend to focus on important features or new design aesthetics.
Apple will sometimes rush out a minor point release of iOS (e.g. iOS x.x.1) to fix critical bugs or security vulnerabilities, but this is less than ideal for a few reasons. Beyond not vibing with Apple's preferred schedule, these point releases can be larger than necessary, and slow to reach iPhone owners despite their importance. Indeed, there's no guarantee that a point release will reach someone on time -- even if you have Automatic Updates enabled, the download won't start until your phone is charging and on Wi-Fi. People who insist on manual updates could be left exposed for days, weeks, or months until they act. You may know someone who's still using iOS 18.
The gist is that these are small, silently delivered security patches that don't affect anything else, allowing Apple to be more agile in response to threats.
Background Security Improvements are new to iOS 26.1, which is still in beta testing as of this writing. When activated, these "provide additional protection to your iPhone in between software updates," as Apple puts it. That's needlessly vague -- the gist, however, is that these are small security patches that don't affect anything else. That should let the company be more agile in response to threats. It adds, in fact, that in "rare instances of compatibility issues," it can revoke an improvement and fix it in a later software update.
If all this sounds familiar, that's because Apple once had something similar dubbed Rapid Security Responses. These were introduced alongside iOS 16, but later disappeared from iPhones without much comment. That seems to be because they were never really exploited -- the company kept on depending on incremental point releases anyway.
It's not entirely clear why Apple is bring back the concept now, but the likely answer is that Background Security Improvements can be installed silently and automatically, without any action on your part other than flipping a toggle one time. Rapid Security Responses were distributed in much the same way as conventional software updates.
How to turn on Background Security Improvements in iOS 26
Beware of the catch
Because they're tied to iOS 26.1, the only way you can turn on Background Security Improvements at the moment is by signing up for Apple's public or developer beta programs. The public option is usually preferable -- while you may have to wait longer for some seeds, you're more likely to get stable code.
Be warned that any beta will still have some bugs to squash, so you shouldn't enroll a mission-critical device. I wouldn't count on any Background Security Improvements being delivered until the final 26.1 code is out, either.
With that said, here's how to turn on Background Security Improvements, regardless of which codebase you're using:
- Install iOS 26.1 or later. If the final version is out, you can do this by going to Settings > General > Software Update. More patient users can turn on Automatic Updates and wait until their phone is charging and on Wi-Fi.
- Once the install is finsihed, go to Settings - Privacy & Security - Security Improvements.
- Flip the Automatically Install toggle if it's not already active.
That's it. Remember, you may not be notified that downloads are being installed unless they require a device restart, and that's difficult to predict.
Are there any downsides to Background Security Improvements?
Some final thoughts and recommendations
For some people, just the idea of software updates being installed without warning is unsettling. You do have to opt into the process, but some people want maximum control over what happens to their phone. If you're one of them, you'll simply have to cross your fingers and hope that when a major security issue does arise, Apple can get a conventional update out to you before you're impacted.
As mentioned, Apple reserves the right to revoke a Background Security Improvement if it turns out to have hardware or software compatibility problems. I think that's genuinely unlikely, but there's still the risk that your phone could become buggy or crippled if Apple turns out to be trigger-happy. Any small- to medium-sized bugs should be fixed in subsequent point releases -- but if the mistake is a harsh one, you could be forced to perform a factory reset or book an appointment at the Apple Store. I've had a few Genius Bar sessions, and the wait can be pretty long at a popular location.
Apple is typically good about exercising caution, and if a threat is serious enough to warrant a flash update, it's serious enough to download as soon as possible.
A very minor concern is the data consumption involved. Although Background Security Improvements are likely to be relatively tiny, maybe no more than a few hundred megabytes, they might still temporarily consume some bandwidth, and count towards any data caps on your landline or cellular internet. You definitely don't want this happening if you're roaming internationally at a pay-per-megabyte rate.
Overall, though, I'd recommend taking advantage of the feature. Apple is typically good about exercising caution, and if a threat is serious enough to warrant a flash update, it's serious enough to download as soon as possible. It's also doubtful that any patch will have a substantial impact on your speed or data caps -- 4G and 5G are the norm, and even a lot of budget wireless plans include 10GB or more, assuming they're not unlimited. With Wi-Fi access and offline caching available, I rarely ever top 10GB in a month, and I'd much rather know my phone is safe than worry about whether I can listen to the new Above & Beyond album while I drive.