Apple has temporarily halted the development of upcoming software updates, including iOS 18, macOS 15, watchOS 11, and other major releases slated for 2024. This move prioritizes addressing existing bugs and optimizing performance to ensure a seamless user experience.
Apple to restart development of iOS 17, iOS 18, and other projects this week
As reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple recently finished the first phase of development for its 2024 software update.
Last month, the company completed the first version of its next iPhone, iPad and Mac operating systems. That iteration is known as M1 since it’s the first major milestone. The iPhone and iPad software, which will become iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, is dubbed “Crystal” internally. The Mac software, macOS 15, is called “Glow.”
Apple delayed the start of work on the second milestone release, known as M2. The halt also applied to the next Apple Watch operating system — watchOS 11, which is dubbed “Moonstone” — as well as an update to the current iOS 17 called iOS 17.4.
An internal review revealed a significant number of bugs in the initial versions of iOS 18, macOS 15, and watchOS 11, prompting Apple to temporarily shift its focus from new feature development to rectifying these issues. This decision reflects the Cupertino tech giant’s commitment to quality, even if it means delaying the introduction of new features.
The delay, announced internally to employees last week, was meant to help maintain quality control after a proliferation of bugs in early versions, according to people with knowledge of the decision. Rather than adding new features, company engineers were tasked with fixing the flaws and improving the performance of the software, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private.
Under the leadership of senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, Apple dedicated an entire week to addressing the identified bugs.
Once the bug-fixing phase is complete, Apple’s engineering teams will resume work on introducing new capabilities for iOS 18 and its counterparts. The company remains committed to its anticipated release schedule for 2024, with the brief hiatus not expected to cause any delays.
Learn more about several reported iOS 17, macOS Ventura, and watchOS 10 bugs below:
- iOS 17 bug greys out contact images in Notifications Center on Lock Screen
- Apple releases iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 with a bug fix for data transfer
- macOS Ventura 13.5.1 update fixes location services bug
- Third-party widgets not working on iOS 17 Lock Screen? Try these easy fixes
- How to fix Location Service issues on iOS 17
