I can't update my iPhone to iOS 16.6.1

YaaAdofoa wrote:

i have iPhone 6s Plus and am trying to download Netflix but they said I have to get iOS 16 .But my software update is not working what should I do

The iPhone 6s Plus does not support iOS 16 or later – and so will never offer you an update to iOS 16 or later.

The current Netflix app requires iOS 16 or later.

App Store Preview – Netflix

Your choices would appear to be to:

1. Go without the Netflix app, and use Netflix from the Safari browser on your iPhone. You'd have to do some further research to see if this is something that might work.
2. Go without Netflix on your iPhone. Do your Netflix viewing on your computer and/or TV.
3. Get a new(er) iPhone that can run something later than iOS 15.

You don't say which iPhone you have. If your iPhone is among the ones on Apple's compatibility list, then you may want to try the hints and support links that SravanKra posted.

iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 are compatible with these devices - Apple Support

If your iPhone is not compatible with iOS 16 – say, because it is an iPhone 6 or an iPhone 7 – that's why you can't update it to iOS 16.6.1.

Your device is probably not connected to the internet. There are a few steps you can take to verify the connectivity of your device.

Firstly, you can open a web browser on your device. When you open a web browser, the initial page that loads is typically based on your browsing history or cookies. To further confirm the connection, you can tap on any link on that website. If the link opens and displays the corresponding content, it confirms that your device is indeed connected to the internet.

Another method to check internet connectivity is by opening a specific application that requires an internet connection. WhatsApp is an example of such an application. When you launch WhatsApp, it immediately attempts to establish a connection with its servers to synchronize your chats and display any new messages. If you can see your chat conversations and receive real-time updates, it indicates that your device is connected to the internet.

Connecting to Wi-Fi is the initial step, followed by establishing an internet connection.

However, it's important to note that connecting to Wi-Fi does not automatically guarantee an internet connection. In the event that you are unable to connect to Wi-Fi, the issue may stem from settings on your iPhone or the router/modem.

On the other hand, if you are unable to establish an internet connection despite being connected to Wi-Fi, the problem is likely related to the settings on your router/modem. In such cases, it is advisable to promptly contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for assistance.

Check your WiFi Router / Modem for --> Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points ...

Connecting to Wifi is the first part and then getting connected to the Internet is the second

1. If you connect to Wifi, doesn't necessarily mean you are connected to the internet. If you are not connected to wifi could be a problem with iPhone settings or Router/Modem Settings
2. If you are not connected to the internet is the sole issue of Router / Modem Settings. Contact your ISP immediately

For your Internet connection.

• Over Cellular: contact your Carrier (Cellular Service Provider). The agency who issued the SIM to you
• Over WiFI: Contact your ISP (Internet Service Provider), the agency who provided the Internet Service on your Modem/Router to you

However --> Connect iPhone to the Internet - Apple Support

There are only 2 ways to update an iOS/iPadOS. Know how to...

• Update Over-the-Air (OTA) —> Update your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support (IN)
• Update using iTunes/Finder —> Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support (IN)

Before any iOS / iPadOS update, please do the following

• You need to Identify your iPhone model - Apple Support
• It is also recommended that you either take a backup on iTunes or iCloud --> How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
• If you have a beta profile installed, remove the public beta by deleting the beta profile

Go to Settings > General, and tap Profiles & Device Management. Tap the iOS Beta Software Profile. Tap Remove Profile, then restart your device --> How to uninstall iOS beta software - Apple Support

VPN or proxy connections might prevent your device from contacting the update servers.

• Get help with over-the-air iOS updates - Apple Support
• Remove and download the iOS update again

If you still can't install the latest version of iOS, try downloading the update again:

1. Go to Settings > General > [Device name] Storage.
2. Find the iOS update in the list of apps.
3. Tap the iOS update, then tap Delete Update.
4. Go to Settings > General > Software Update and download the latest iOS update.

If you don’t see the update in the list of apps or if the issue happens again, you need to update your device with iTunes.

Try updating iOS after each step.

• Try to Forget the WiFi network and add it again
• Try another WiFi network 
• Toggle sets automatically off and then on
• Reset your network settings
• Force restart your device
• Remove any beta profiles, if applicable

• If everything fails: - Use iTunes or Finder (for macOS Catalina+) to update your device instead of over-the-air
• Get help with iOS updates and restore errors - Apple Support
• If you see an error when you update or restore your iPhone, iPad

I will continue to use my iphone 6S, iphone 7 and ipad mini4 all of which have received two or is it three security patches since iOS16 was released.

In any case not all security holes are in the older iOS

However 15.7.9 was released yesterday

Apple security releases - Apple Support

Thanks for the heads-up about iOS 15.7.9.

The release notes indicate that iOS 15.7.9 fixes the ImageIO buffer overflow vulnerability (CVE-2023-41064) that was reported by The Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto's Munk school.

There is no mention of a fix for the Wallet validation issue (CVE-2023-41061) reported by Apple.

About the security content of iOS 15.7.9 and iPadOS 15.7.9 - Apple Support

About the security content of iOS 16.6.1 and iPadOS 16.6.1 - Apple Support

So, does this mean my iPhone 6s Plus is now basically bricked?

If so, that's terribly disappointing! It was the last iPhone with a fingerprint reader and headphone jack, both of which I use all the time. Switching to an iPhone with neither of those features is going to be significantly worse.

Is this essential update not available for 6s Plus because the actual hardware can't handle it, because the iPhone 6s Plus isn't impacted by this threat, or because Apple has decided it's time for me to get a newer phone that has (apparently permanently) removed some of my favorite features?

krakeninferno wrote:

So, does this mean my iPhone 6s Plus is now basically bricked?

If so, that's terribly disappointing! It was the last iPhone with a fingerprint reader and headphone jack, both of which I use all the time. Switching to an iPhone with neither of those features is going to be significantly worse.

It doesn't mean that your iPhone 6s Plus is "bricked".

It does mean that your iPhone 6s Plus won't get the new features In iOS 16 (and iOS 17, when it comes out), and that possibly you'll miss out on some bug fixes and security updates, too. But Apple hasn't shut off the ability to use your phone with its current version of iOS, and current apps.

"Bricked" is what happened to people who thought they had bought DIVX-Silver movies, only to find that their "purchased" movie discs turned into coasters when Circuit City permanently shut down the central DRM servers. "Bricked" is what happens to someone who steals an iPhone, if the owner had the foresight to have the Find My feature turned on, and marked the phone as Lost, and was able to keep their credentials secure. "Bricked" is also what happens to someone who steals a car stereo that's designed to require a 4-digit PIN for reactivation, in the event that it is ever disconnected from battery power.

Ah, I can see how, in my concern about being able to use my iPhone safely going forward, my failure to use the term "bricked" correctly might have made the key focus of my question less evident. Thank you, Servant of Cats, for the care with which you've explained this unfortunate error to me. Now that I am 100% clear on my incorrect use of the term "bricked", allow me to reframe my question:

So, does this mean it is no longer safe to actually use my iPhone 6s Plus because of the significant and actively exploited security vulnerabilities uncovered by the University of Toronto's Citizen's Lab? My understanding was that this update was meant to address these vulnerabilities, so my phone's inability to install the update seems like it may be problematic. I'm concerned that it might be potentially dangerous to use my phone for many of the regular things people use their phones for.

If so, that's terribly disappointing! It was the last iPhone with a fingerprint reader and headphone jack, both of which I use all the time. Switching to an iPhone with neither of those features is going to be significantly worse.

Is this essential update not available for 6s Plus because the actual hardware can't handle it, because the iPhone 6s Plus isn't impacted by this threat, or because Apple has decided it's time for me to get a newer phone that has (apparently permanently) removed some of my favorite features?

Please feel free to give me a heads up if any of the other terms I've used here are incorrect deal-killers. You've clearly been very generous on these forums in the past and helped many people with their non-terminology questions. I'm sincerely curious about whether my inability to update is making it risky to use my phone for the sorts of things this update was intended to address.

The existence of an unpatched security vulnerability certainly can make it riskier to use a device - at least in a theoretical sense, and possibly in a practical one (depending on what the vulnerability is, what it would take to trigger it, and how you use your device). I'm not going to pretend otherwise.

That doesn't mean that you have to immediately throw any device with vulnerabilities into the trash. If you took the position that you refuse to use any system that has unpatched vulnerabilities, then you would need to stop using all computers, and all smartphones, including the latest iPhones and Android phones. Modern computer and smartphone systems are very complex, and for all we know, contain unpatched vulnerabilities in addition to those that "white hat" researchers and manufacturers know about.

krakeninferno wrote:

Is this essential update not available for 6s Plus because the actual hardware can't handle it, because the iPhone 6s Plus isn't impacted by this threat, or because Apple has decided it's time for me to get a newer phone that has (apparently permanently) removed some of my favorite features?

I can't speak for Apple, but when companies are maintaining multiple product lines – or versions of software that are shared between product lines, they often do not try to patch bugs and security vulnerabilities going all of the way back to the very first place that a bug or vulnerability might have occurred.

A decision is made to fix the bug, or patch the security vulnerability, in such-and-such a version, but not in older ones. It's usually not a question of whether the older hardware could run a fix, or whether it would be possible to patch the older software should the appropriate places in the code be identified. It is simply a matter that there are not enough developers to make every fix, retroactively, everywhere and still keep up with new product work.

I do not have access to the code either for the ImageIO bug (reported by the University of Toronto) or the Wallet bug (reported by Apple). But I think the hardware of your iPhone 6s Plus would be able to handle the theoretical fixes – a little bit more code to validate images presented to ImageIO, and the attachments presented to Wallet.

If Apple has decided not to fix these vulnerabilities in iOS 15 – or if they decided to fix the vulnerabilities in iOS 16 first, and there is an iOS 15 update in the works that they have not announced – that decision probably had to do with the work required to patch the vulnerabilities, run the code through Quality Assurance, AND put out a release to a very large number of iOS 15 users.

If iOS 15 needs this security patch it will get one real soon

We have to assume that iOS15 is not vulnerable to that one else it would have been patched.

Thank you, Servant of Cats, for your post. It was thoughtful and I appreciate the time you took to write it.

This eased my mind, LD150 - thank you!!!

You're most welcome! Thanks for feeding back.

i have iPhone 6s Plus and am trying to download Netflix but they said I have to get iOS 16 .But my software update is not working what should I do