Tips To Update Your iPhone To iOS 18.3.1 When There's Not Enough Space

Apple has issued a caution to update your iPhone immediately along with the release of iOS 18.3.1. This is due to the fact that iOS 18.3.1 is an urgent patch that addresses a single security flaw that is already being exploited in actual attacks.  In order to give iPhone customers as much time as possible to update before other hackers can obtain the information, Apple doesn't provide a lot of information regarding the fixes in iOS 18.3.1. iOS upgrades protect your phone from viruses and hackers. Your phone may be in danger if you don't update. Therefore, it's a good idea to keep your iPhone updated and make room!

We do know, however, that the iOS 18.3.1 update addresses an accessibility vulnerability that might allow a physical attack to disable USB Restricted Mode on a locked device. On its support page, Apple stated, "Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely advanced attack against specific targeted individuals."

Reasons to Update to iOS 18.3.1 Right Away

The highly-targeted attack that was patched in iOS 18.3.1 most likely affected prominent individuals, including government officials, journalists, dissidents, and certain businesses. Update immediately if you belong to this group.

If you can't update your iPhone to iOS 18.3.1 because there's not enough space, don’t worry! Here’s what you can do:

Free Up Space:

• Open Settings > General > iPhone Storage to see what's taking up space.

• Delete apps you don’t use—you can always get them back later.

• Offload apps to remove the app but keep the data.

Manage Photos and Videos:

• Delete pictures and videos you don’t need.

• Backup your photos to iCloud or Google Photos and then delete them from your phone.

Clear Unwanted Files:

• Remove downloaded movies or podcasts you’ve already watched.

• Clear your browser's cache in Safari or other browsers.

Update Using a Computer:

• Connect your iPhone to a computer and update it through iTunes or Finder (on newer Macs).

Factory Reset (last option):

• Back up your data first!

• Reset the phone, update the software, and then restore your backup.

Included with the Update

The iOS 18.3.1 update is necessary to maintain iPhone security. To make you aware,it does not have any new features. You should update your phone to   iOS 18.3.1 only for security reasons. The update is approximately 450 MB for those who have their phones updated to iOS 18.3 already. It ensures that the disabled USB Restricted Mode and data transmission features are successfully patched. Even if an iPhone is physically attacked. Apple has not provided complete information about the exact fixes in iOS 18.3.1. The reason can be to give iPhone owners time to update before additional hackers can make use of the information. Apple is prioritising user safety.

Apple has now released iOS 18.3.1, an emergency critical update meant to fix a major security vulnerability that is already being used in actual attacks. Apple Intelligence even discovered an unexpected vulnerability. iPhone users are strongly recommended to update their devices as soon as possible to protect against future cyberattacks.

One thing to keep in mind regarding iOS 18.3.1 is that, according to a report on the Apple-focused website 9to5Mac, it seems to automatically switch Apple Intelligence back on, even if you turned it off when updating to iOS 18.3. You may not want Apple Intelligence right away, especially by default, for a variety of reasons. One of the issues is privacy, since AI gathers a lot of personal information about you. Given that Apple prioritizes privacy and makes sure its AI is as safe as possible by processing some queries on the device and sending others to its own Private Cloud Compute.

Disclaimer: The information regarding the gadgets/devices listed in the table and article has been sourced from various secondary sources. For detailed product specifications, please refer to the brand sources.