Automatic Software Updates
Software & Exploit Protection
Essential
Turn on Automatically Install for iOS updates.
What this setting does
Software updates contain security fixes that protect your iPhone from known vulnerabilities. Automatically installing updates reduces the amount of time your device remains exposed after Apple releases a fix. Apple recommends keeping iPhone software up to date to receive the latest security protections.
Important notes
Under Automatic Updates, turn on Automatically Install for iOS updates. When an update is available, iPhone can install it overnight while the device is charging and connected to Wi-Fi. You are notified before the update is installed.
Background Security Improvements are a separate protection and are managed under Settings → Privacy & Security → Background Security Improvements. They deliver certain security fixes between normal software updates, so Clouds & Keys reviews that setting separately.
Separate Automatically Download and System Files controls are hidden once the Automatic Install setting is enabled.