It’s the end of the road for iOS 13.3 and iPadOS 13.3. That’s because Apple has stopped signing both ye olde versions of its operating system. This means that it is no longer possible to download and install them on devices.
Instead, Apple wants to encourage every iPhone and iPad user to join them in the shining wonderland utopia that is mobile software versions 13.3.1.
Apple debuted iOS 13.3.1 at the end of January. iOS 13.1 included fixes for issues such as Communication Limits, CarPlay, Deep Fusion on iPhone 11 Pro, and Mail. It additionally gave users greater control over the Ultra Wideband chip inside Apple’s latest handsets.
It was a particularly significant update for some users in the United Kingdom, since it resolved connectivity issues affecting iPhone XR owners on O2, the U.K.’s second-largest carrier. Apple is currently beta-testing iOS 13.4.
Apple stops signing software updates, such as iOS 13.3, in relatively quick fashion so that as many users as possible are running the latest version of the operating system. This allows Apple to roll out new features in rapid fashion. More crucially, it lets Apple address security bugs in a speedy fashion.
As 9to5Mac points out, Apple’s decision to stop signing iOS 13.3 comes at a good time. The unc0ver team has said that it will release an iOS 13.3 jailbreak this week. By stopping support for this version of iOS, Apple is helping plug this security gap before the jailbreak is released.
