Apple on Monday released iOS 11.4.1 to the public. The update, the fifteenth update to the iOS 11 mobile operating system since its initial release in September 2017, brings USB Restricted Mode and various bug fixes to iOS devices.
iOS 11.4.1 is available on iOS devices running iOS 11.0 or higher as an over-the-air update. Users can initiate the update process by going to the Settings app and tapping “General” -> “Software Update.”
iOS 11.4.1 provides fixes for bugs discovered since the release of iOS 11.4. Apple’s release notes indicate the update provides a fix for an issue that prevented some users from being able to view the last known location of their AirPods in the Find My iPhone app. It also improves the reliability of syncing mail, contacts, and notes with Exchange accounts.
iOS 11.41. also debuts the public availability of USB Restricted Mode, which first appeared in the iOS 12 beta. USB Restricted Mode is designed to prevent some hacking techniques used by law enforcement, and yes the bad guys, to gain access to a locked iOS device.
USB Restricted Mode prevents iPhone access hacking methods that use a USB connection to download data from an iOS device by disabling data access to the Lightning port if it’s been more than an hour since the device was last unlocked.
USB Restricted Mode is enabled by default once you’ve updated the device to either iOS 11.4.1 or iOS 12. The mode can be toggled off if you’d prefer.
Today’s update could be one of the last we’ll see for the nearly 1-year-old iOS 11 mobile operating system, as iOS 12 is currently being tested by developers and public beta testers and will be released to the public in the fall.
