It is not uncommon that as soon as you take a new iPhone out of the box and turn it on, the device needs to be updated. It is not the most pleasant experience. But with the launch of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro there was an even more complicated situation. And the company had to launch an update to resolve data transfer problems between smartphones during their configuration on the same day it went on sale.
Updates that appear right after setting up the iPhone, or even during the initial setup, as happened with the iPhone 15, usually set the device owner back a lot. It means you have to wait even longer to use your new phone, and no one likes that. But Apple plans to solve the problem in a very clever way.
According to a report published by Mark Gurman in Bloomberg assures that they are working on a new proprietary accessory that would allow iPhones to be updated without removing them from the box and thus solve this problem.
The accessory would be used in the Apple Store. The box is positioned over this and would be able to turn it on wirelessly, update it and then turn off the device. All this without breaking the box where the new iPhone is. The idea would be for this new accessory to be deployed in the company’s stores before the end of 2023.
Apple could update new iPhones in even easier ways, but it may need new hardware
iPhones, for some years, have had components that remain on or active even when the device is turned off. For example, to be able to find them if they are lost. It is a technology similar to that of AirTags that requires very little energy.
Apple could develop a solution that – if the iPhone is new and has not yet been configured for the first time – it can be turned on remotely without there being a nearby device to be updated. It could be based on the WoW (Wake on Wireless LAN) protocol.
Once the device is set up for the first time, the feature may be disabled. Although it is technically possible, Apple may decide not to do it until it is certain that it cannot be used maliciously.
Be that as it may, Apple’s solution is interesting, in that it requires that there be sufficient proximity between the accessory and the device case. Perhaps it is another form of security so that these types of updates are done by authorized people and in controlled environments.
