When it comes to iOS , Apple has largely maintained a take-it-or-leave-it approach to security updates. Want the software patches Apple creates to fix the vulnerabilities exploited by hackers to compromise iPhones? Then the company would tell you to update your phone to the latest version of iOS your hardware can handle—with no room for lingering on an older version just because you enjoy its retro look or familiar features.

Now, however, the appearance of not one but two sophisticated, in-the-wild iPhone hacking techniques in a single month—and some iPhone owners’ distaste for the look and feel of the latest version of iOS —may have finally shifted Apple’s patching policy.…