Apple is said to have postponed the development of its ‘essential’ iOS 18 update to address bugs within the code of the operating system.
The upcoming iOS 18 update from Apple, slated to coincide with the anticipated iPhone 16 series launch next year, holds particular significance, as noted by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. In his weekly newsletter, Gurman emphasizes that this major operating system update is expected to deliver substantial improvements over iOS 17, playing a pivotal role in driving sales for the next generation of Apple smartphones. Apple has officially acknowledged its efforts to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) features into the iOS 18 update.
Gurman’s insights, shared in the Power On newsletter, highlight that the iPhone 16 may not introduce extensive hardware upgrades next year. Consequently, the iOS 18 update must exhibit exceptional enhancements to entice users to upgrade from the iPhone 15 series models unveiled this year—namely, the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
To ensure the stability and bug-free performance of the iOS 18 code, Apple reportedly temporarily halted development recently to address previously unnoticed issues. Gurman notes that this interruption, lasting a week, has affected progress toward the second milestone, with four such six-week milestones typically leading up to Apple’s annual unveiling of operating system updates at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.
The significance of a bug-free code stems from iOS 18’s anticipated introduction of “major new features and designs,” as reported by Apple’s senior management. While it remains unclear which of these features will be compatible with earlier iPhone models eligible for the update, Gurman points out that this marks a departure from the relatively iterative iOS version updates in recent years.
Amidst the AI-powered feature announcements by Apple’s competitors, such as Microsoft Copilot on Windows 11 and Google Assistant with Bard, Siri is poised to receive AI upgrades fueled by Apple’s large language model (LLM). Other applications, including Pages, Keynote, Numbers, and Apple Music, are also expected to undergo AI-backed enhancements. As the months progress, more details about Apple’s software updates are anticipated.