iOS 15.3 is out now, and it fixes a nasty Safari bug

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Apple is releasing iOS 15.3 and iPadOS 15.3 for compatible devices today. It’s a fairly minor update, but it does come with an essential security fix to patch a nasty Safari browser flaw. Security researchers revealed earlier this month that websites could exploit a flaw in Apple’s Safari browser to access URLs visited recently by an iOS user and even obtain a Google user ID.

9to5Mac tested the iOS 15.3 release candidate that was released a few days ago and found it fixes this particular security problem. Apple’s quick fix will be useful for iOS and iPadOS users, as, unlike macOS, you can’t simply switch to another browser on iOS to avoid the security flaw. Apple allows third-party browsers on iOS, but they all have to use the same Safari rendering engine.

iOS 15.3 doesn’t appear to include any additional features or obvious fixes. Apple last updated iOS with version 15.2, which included improvements for the iPhone 13 Pro’s macro mode, a $4.99 voice-only plan for Apple Music, a Digital Legacy program, and Apple’s App Privacy Report.