Enlarge / iPhones running iOS 16. (credit: Apple)

Apple has released iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 (and their first minor patch, version 17.0.1) to the public this week, and by most accounts, it's a fairly mild and stable update that doesn't seem to be breaking much. But a few years ago, as you might recall , Apple made a change to how it handles operating system transitions—iOS 16 will keep getting updates for a short stretch so that people who want to wait a bit before they upgrade can do so without missing important security updates.

The iOS and iPadOS 16.7 update covers all devices that could run version 16, including older stuff like the iPhone 8, iPhone X, and first-gen iPad Pro that can't be upgraded to version 17. In a couple of months, if precedent holds , newer devices will have to upgrade to keep getting security fixes, while iOS 16 updates will continue to support older devices for at least another year.

On the Mac side, Apple continues releasing security updates for operating systems for two years after they're replaced by a new version. For the last year, that has meant that versions 11, 12, and 13 (Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura) have all been getting patches. Now that version 14 (Sonoma) is around the corner, version 11 will stop being updated.

Enlarge / The iPad Air 2 (left) and iPad mini 4 (right) will still get iPadOS 15 updates, but Apple's newer iPads will have to upgrade. (credit: Andrew Cunningham)

If you use an iPad that can run iPadOS 16 and you've been sticking with iPadOS 15 for one reason or another, you should get ready to upgrade soon. The iPadOS 15.7.3 update , which provides security-only fixes to the older OS, is only compatible with iPads that can't run iPadOS 16, namely 2014's iPad Air 2 and 2015's 4th-generation iPad mini.

Apple had been supporting all iPads with iPadOS 15 updates, whether they could run iPadOS 16 or not—the last of these updates was iPadOS 15.7.2 , released in mid-December. Apple releases these updates for a while so that cautious users can stay protected against vulnerabilities while they wait for major bugs to be resolved in the newest major OS release.

But that grace period usually only lasts for a couple of months. Newer iPhones were pushed to update to iOS 16 in December when the 15.7.2 update dropped support for them . The release of iPadOS 16 came a month after the release of iOS 16 this year , which is why the 15.7.2 update still supported newer iPads.

Enlarge / The 2021 14-inch MacBook Pro. (credit: Samuel Axon)

This week, Apple released software updates for all of its platforms, including iOS 15.6, iPadOS 15.6, macOS Monterey 12.5, watchOS 8.7, tvOS 15.6, and HomePod software version 15.6.

With iOS 16 and its peers just a couple of months away, these updates add no major new features. The most visible addition in iOS 15.6, iPadOS 15.6, and macOS 12.5 this week is the ability to pause, rewind, fast-forward, or restart a live sports game. Also, Siri can now recognize voices in Mandarin, Cantonese, and Japanese on the HomePod.

Beyond that, it's all about bug fixes, performance improvements, and other smaller tweaks.