It may take weeks for security updates to become available for your iPhone or iPad, but you should still keep automatic updates turned on.

Apple VP of software Craig Federighi told Reddit user Mateusz Buda that automatic iOS updates can take up to four weeks to roll out to all users, partly because of Apple's caution. So if it can take a month for critical security updates to arrive on your device, why bother with automatic updates at all?

"Without automatic updates, there's a risk that people won't consent to the updates at all, which means their personal information (like logins, financial info, etc.) is at risk of being stolen by cybercriminals," Caroline Wong, Chief Strategy Officer at cybersecurity firm Cobalt, told Lifewire via email. "Updates are easy to forget, so I always recommend opting for automatic updates. These days, they even happen while you're asleep, so people don't have to worry about them."

Automatic updates work great, until they don’t. In 2019, the iOS 13 release was a disaster, with issues in the camera app, AirDrop and iMessage, app crashes, cellular data connectivity, and more. It also felt unfinished and rushed.