A single toggle in Apple’s Privacy & Security settings will deliver smaller fixes for Safari, WebKit and other system components between major software updates.
Apple has quietly made its new Background Security Improvements easier to find, with the control now sitting behind a single “Automatically Install” toggle in Privacy & Security on iPhone, iPad and Mac. According to Apple’s support material, the feature is intended to keep certain security fixes flowing between major software releases, and it is enabled for future versions beginning with iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1 and macOS 26.1.
The company describes the system as a way to deliver extra protection without waiting for a full operating system update. In practice, that means smaller security releases can reach parts of the platform such as Safari, WebKit and other system libraries more quickly. Apple says this is designed to close vulnerabilities in the background, and that if a compatibility problem appears, a particular improvement can be removed temporarily before a later update reinstates or refines it.
Checking the setting takes only a few taps. On iPhone and iPad, it is found in Settings under Privacy & Security, then Background Security Improvements. On Mac, the route is Apple menu, System Settings, then Privacy & Security, followed by Background Security Improvements. In each case, Apple says the key step is to confirm that Automatically Install remains switched on.
There is a practical trade-off if users switch it off. Apple says the device will not receive those security improvements until they are bundled into a later standard software update, so the protection is delayed rather than cancelled. That matters because the updates are aimed at browser and web technologies that are used constantly, making them some of the most time-sensitive fixes Apple ships.
Apple also notes one important exception on the Mac: Background Security Improvements only apply when the computer boots from its internal storage. Systems started from an external drive do not receive the fixes in the same way and must wait for a later full software update. Apple’s published list of releases shows the company is already tracking these smaller patches separately, including a March 2026 WebKit update delivered as part of the new system.
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