Axios is reporting that Apple will be punting several features planned for iOS 12 to 2019 as it focuses on quality issues, security, and performance.
iOS 12 will certainly add new features, just not as many as originally planned. That is, if this story by Axios is true.
The report says that VP of software engineering Craig Federighi told employees that Apple will delay several features originally due to land in iOS 12. According to well-connected reporter Ina Fried, “a number of features” will be pushed into 2019 rather than make their appearance in the fall release of iOS 12.
It’s been a rough launch for iOS 11. First there was the autocorrect bug. Then the Dec. 2 shutdown bug. Then Apple was exposed for slowing down old iPhones. And that’s not to mention the serious vulnerabilities that cropped up in macOS. In a statement, Apple previously said it would be “auditing our development processes to help prevent this from happening again,” and if true, this would be a huge step toward ensuring the security and stability of iOS going forward.
While it might not seem like much, there’s at least one big change here: the home screen. Apple hasn’t made significant changes to the home screen in ages. It has added folders, a page full of widgets, and overhauled the lock screen, but a serious revamp of the home screen is long overdue. Users (including this Macworld staff writer) have been clamoring for Apple to ditch the icon grid for years, especially with the new “all-screen” iPhone X design.
If Axios’s report is accurate we’ll still be looking at icons screen on our home when iOS 12 lanches.
A separate report by Business Insider confirmed the delayed home screen redesign and added that «a revamped photo management application that used new algorithms to better automatically sort pictures» would also be pushed back. Bummer!
Elsewhere, Axios says iOS 12 will include “improvements in augmented reality, digital health and parental controls,” all features Apple has already announced were on the way. Enhancements to the Health app and ARKit are on tap for iOS 11.3 (presumably iOS 12 will take those further), and Apple recently responded to criticism of its lack of iOS parental controls by saying it will bring “new features and enhancements planned for the future, to add functionality and make these tools even more robust.”
Business Insider echoes these claims with specific details that parents will be able to «better monitor how long apps are being used for by kids and their overall screen time.» The site also reports that Apple is working on improvements to its FaceTime app as well as «a merger of the third-party applications running on iPhones and Macs.»
There has been no mention of new and expanded Siri functionality in these reports—either as something cut or as something still coming in iOS 12—but it is high on the list of areas most often cited by Apple fans as needing improvement.
But if the big focus on iOS 12 is security and stability, it will be a tough sell. Users are accustomed to seeing major front-facing features in each yearly iOS update, and Performance and stability aren’t as sexy as Live Photos or a sleek new home screen. So-called maintenance releases aren’t uncommon with macOS, and it might be time for Apple to take a step back and bring iOS back up to speed.
According to Business Insider, the iOS shift «will also affect this year’s update to Mac computer software, but to a lesser degree,» though watchOS and tvOS «won’t be affected.»
Axios says Apple is “prioritizing work to make iPhones more responsive and less prone to cause customer support issues,” which would be a big win for current, past, and future iPhones. Features are nice and all, but ultimately speed and reliability are what make a phone great, and if Apple needs to take a year off to focus on the things that matter, we’re all for it.
Apple hasn’t yet announced the release date for iOS 12, but we’ve seen nothing to suggest that it will stray from it’s usual release schedule, which looks like this:
Right now, you can’t get iOS 12.
Apple is expected to make beta versions available just after WWDC this summer. Once that happens, you’ll have two avenues to get it: as a developer, or as a part of the public beta.
If you’re a developer, you can get the developer releases from the Apple Developer site .
