Apple iOS 12 Delays New Features to Focus on Reliability: Report

Apple reportedly has decided its iOS 12 update needs to focus on reliability and performance rather than new features after multiple problems with the functioning of iOS 11.

Axios reported Apple Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi announced the priority shift to employees earlier in the month. While new AR and health features as well as plans to integrate Mac and iOS apps together will be in the iOS 12 update, a redesigned home screen and updates to the picture-taking process and bundled apps like Mail will be put off until next year’s update.

The iOS 12 update is expected in June, but no date has yet been announced.

Apple likely wants to ensure iOS 12, when it does launch, will not have the controversy that iOS 11 generated with its multiple glitches, including one that changed the uppercase “I” to different characters.

Another issue that came up with Apple in recent months is the revelation that the company throttled performance of older phones, slowing them down to prevent shutdowns as battery life became more depleted.

An interim update, 11.3, will provide a way for users to check the health of their device’s battery and choose whether or not to enable the throttling. Other minor changes include new animoji (on iPhone X), iCloud support for Messages, and slight changes to Apple Music and Apple News, according to Apple Insider.

Twitter users were somewhat torn between wanting reliability and better performance and impatience for the new home screen and other improvements. 

Everyone wants iOS 12 to focus on performance and reliability improvements until they hear they could have had a new home screen instead.

— Benjamin Mayo (@bzamayo) January 30, 2018

As we’ve come to rely on our phones and tablets more and more, the most important feature may be stability.

— Todd Heberlein (@toddheberlein) January 30, 2018

As long as we don’t see what could’ve been, I honestly prefer performance and reliability improvements.

— Tashen (@iTashenG) January 30, 2018

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