Shortly after its release, a bug was discovered inside Apple’s brand new iOS 7 operating system, which made it relatively easy to access the photo gallery, some emails, and social networking accounts on a locked iPhone. The bug wasn’t something you’d simply stumble upon, and required those up to no good to follow a set of instructions and make a few well-timed presses of the Home button, but it was clearly a considerable security problem, and one which needed addressing.
Apple has now released iOS 7.0.2, which does exactly that, and also adds in the option to use a Greek keyboard when entering the passcode. Otherwise, it’s a simple security update to make your lock screen safe again, and applying the patch over-the-air takes just a few minutes.
If the version number is confusing you, and you’re wondering why you missed iOS 7.0.1, there’s an explanation. Apple sent out iOS 7.0.1 quickly after iOS 7 was released, but it was only applicable to iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S models, where it fixed a few bugs specific to those phones. If you own an iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, or iPhone 5, it wouldn’t have shown up in Software Update. That doesn’t mean you can’t, or shouldn’t, install 7.0.2 though, as it’s recommended for all iPhone models running iOS 7.
The lock screen bug may have been iOS 7’s most widely publicized problem, but it’s by no means the only one. If you’ve found it’s draining your battery more, iTunes is crashing, or Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are refusing to work, then you’ll find a few helpful tips and workarounds on these and other issues here. We should look out for permanent solutions when iOS 7.1 arrives.