Apple users joked today that the company was deliberately slowing down current devices with a new security update just weeks before the new iPhone 14 is released.

The jovial claims, which technology experts insist are false, come ahead of the anticipated release of the model which Apple is expected to reveal on September 7.

And they follow Apple disclosing serious security vulnerabilities for iPhones, iPads and Macs that could potentially allow attackers to take complete control of them.

Billions of Apple users were today urged to update their devices after the firm revealed it was ‘aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited’.

But some joked that it wants ‘to slow down old models because iPhone 14 is coming out’ and their device will then ‘be unusably slow, forcing me to buy a new iPhone’.

A further Twitter user said: ‘Yes, time to push that f***ing update and slow down every one. Yearly refresh cycle is near now that new iPhone is coming.’ 

Another added: ‘Apple make me die, apparently there is a serious security issue with all iPhones, that is unless of course you buy the new iPhone 14 coming next month.’

But mobile security expert Tom Davison told MailOnline that the impact on battery life of such ‘minor security’ updates should ‘generally be non-existent or negligible’.

David Calder, co-founder of cybersecurity firm Adarma, said if any issues affecting performance are identified from the new update, another update would be issued. 

Mr Davison and Mr Calder were among a chorus of experts who insisted Apple users should update all their affected devices – including the iPhone 6S and later models.

The update also covers several models of the iPad , including the 5th generation and later, all iPad Pros, the iPad Mini 4 and later and the iPad Air 2 and later.

The iOS 15.6.1 update also applies to the iPod Touch 7th generation. In addition, Mac computers on MacOS Monterey are affected – with users told to download 12.5.1. 

The issues were found by an anonymous researcher in ‘WebKit’, the browser engine that powers Safari; and ‘Kernel’, which is the core of the operating system. 

Mr Davison, senior director of sales engineering international at mobile security provider Lookout, told MailOnline today: ‘In the case of security fixes, these are being issued for a reason and users should definitely update as soon as possible.

‘Failing to do so leaves you open to known vulnerabilities that an attacker could use to exploit your device. For these minor security updates, the impact to battery life should generally be non-existent or negligible.

‘For major updates, Apple has previously acknowledged that battery usage may temporarily increase for around 48 hours or so before settling to normal patterns.

‘To get the latest security updates, users have to go to the latest version of iOS for their iPhone, so there really is no option but to install the latest software if you want to stay protected. 

‘Over time, any new features and functionality in iOS may increase demands on the battery, and the iPhone battery itself has a finite lifetime.

‘Just like with any computer, the iPhone hardware will eventually need an update to run the latest and greatest features, but that shouldn’t stop users from downloading the latest patches to stay safe.’

Experts also say that the biggest drain on a phone’s speed is often from the number of photos, videos or apps on someone’s device, and is rarely related to software.

They also say that the best way to stay safe online is to ensure your device has all the latest software updates, to avoid having problems in the future with any bugs.

Apple released two security reports about the issue on Wednesday, and they have now received more widespread attention

The iOS update is not required for older operating systems such as macOS Cataline and Big Sur. 

But Apple also released a separate update to Safari 15.6.1 for these two macOS systems, saying ‘processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution’ and it ‘may have been actively exploited’.

And Mr Calder told MailOnline: ‘Apple’s announcement of the need to update the operating system software for iPhone, Mac, and iPad to fix two serious zero-day vulnerabilities highlights the importance for users to ensure that all their devices are updated with the latest software.

‘To make the process easier, people can enable their device to perform automatic updates so that vulnerabilities are addressed as soon as a fix is released.

‘Prevention is always better than cure; Apple will have conducted extensive testing before issuing these fixes, so if there are issues that affect the performance of a users’ phone whilst applying the patches, further updates will be available.

‘The seriousness of these vulnerabilities means it is best to apply the updates as soon as they have been released.’

Apple has not yet commented about the vulnerabilities further than the security update notice it issued on Wednesday.

It declined to give an on-the-record denial to MailOnline about claims that its update would intentionally slow down phones, but there is no suggestion that this is true. 

This content was originally published here.