The principle hasn’t changed much, because functionally a BSI is the almost identical continuation of the “Rapid Security Response” (RSR). The latter fell out of favor after macOS 13.4.1 (a) in July 2023 meant that users could no longer visit many websites. In the background, 26.3.1 (a) worked almost identically – only the function was moved, received a new name and changed operation. Oakley thinks the new location tends to cause confusion.
An update function hidden in data protection
In macOS 13 (Ventura) to 15 (Sequoia), the RSR option resides in the Settings app under General/Software Update. By clicking on the information icon to the right of “Automatic Updates”, users can access the settings dialog, which combines automatic updates for the App Store, system and security. Under macOS 26 (Tahoe) there are now additional settings under “Privacy & Security”. Irritatingly, the old setting for “system files and security updates” remains – so there are basically two switches for what at first glance appears to be the same function. By default both are active. On top of that, it’s confusing: the switch for the newer feature is labeled “Install automatically”, although (on macOS) it simply indicates the availability of an update.
Two functions that do almost the same thing – wouldn’t they be better gathered in one place?
Restart without warning
Users may also be surprised at what happens if they agree to a BSI update: After downloading and preparing (only visualized by a rotating indicator), the Mac wants to restart immediately – users only have 60 seconds to save their open documents. However, the message indicating the need for a restart appears if the user wants to remove a security update. Oakley also criticizes the fact that this option is hidden behind the information button – the dialog has enough space for an intuitive switch.
Still confusing version number
Just like its predecessor RSR, a BSI uses an atypical nomenclature: an incremented version number, supplemented by a letter in brackets. This can confuse automated comparison algorithms – in fact, in macOS 13.4.1 (a), this appendage also led to the problems that led to Apple having to withdraw the last RSR update ever released.
Worse than before?
Oakley ends his observations with a long list of recommendations for Apple – and an assessment: Although Apple had three years to improve, BSIs now seemed a worse mess than RSRs ever were. He finds this particularly a shame because the underlying mechanism is still brilliant.