Tech / Technology

Apple reportedly pauses iOS 18 development to focus on bugs

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Apple is reportedly pausing development of its upcoming iOS 18 software to focus on bugs.
Apple logo

Apple has taken the step of temporarily pausing development of next year’s iOS 18 to focus on fixing bugs in the code.

This is according to a new report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who claims the delay was internally announced to employees last week.

The version of iOS that’s currently available to the public is iOS 17.1.1, but Apple is already at work on iOS 18, which is likely to be launched in 2024. However, early versions of iOS 18 were so buggy that Apple decided to halt further development until the company’s engineers iron out the bugs and improve the software’s performance.

The report calls the move “rare” and “unusual,” while noting that Apple’s recent releases weren’t as buggy — though we’re not sure all users would agree, given the amount of bugs found since iOS 17’s launch.

The pause in development will reportedly only last a week, after which work on new features will resume.

The report also claims that Apple briefly stopped the development of iOS 17.4, which is due for a release in March. Finally, the delay also affected the development of Apple’s visionOS, which is the software platform for the company’s upcoming Vision Pro headset. However, the delays were brief, and are unlikely to postpone consumer releases of any software.

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Apple fixes iPhone’s BMW charging bug with iOS 17.1.1

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Apple has released iOS 17.1.1, an update that fixes several iPhone issues, including a bug that prevented wireless charging in BMWs.
iOS 17

Apple’s got an update for the iPhone, and this one will be of particular interest to BMW owners.

The new iOS 17.1.1 update fixes an odd bug that disables the phone’s NFC chip after you wirelessly charge the iPhone in a BMW. While that may sound innocuous, the fact that some BMW owners were unable to use Apple Pay or their digital car key after charging their phone was quite a nuisance, especially because the issue persisted after a factory reset of the phone.

The iOS update also fixes a bug in which the Weather widget on the Lock Screen inaccurately displays snow.

Apple also updated iPadOS to version 17.1.1, macOS Sonoma to version 14.1.1, remedying unspecified issues and bugs.

Apple’s HomePod also got an update, with the new version being 17.1.1. The new software fixes a bug in which the HomePod sometimes responds slowly, or fails to complete requests.

Finally, Apple Watch also got an update, bringing the watchOS software to version 10.1.1. Apple says that this update fixes the battery drain bug that some users experienced after upgrading to watchOS 10.1.

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iPhone 15 and Pixel 8 issues show why it doesn’t always pay to be an early adopter

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iPhone 15 and Pixel 8 both have issues. But, they are early adopter problems really.
Google logo above Apple logo on smartphone

October saw the release of two next-generation smartphones: Apple’s iPhone 15 and Google’s Pixel 8.

Almost as soon as the iPhone 15 and Pixel 8 dropped, though, complaints about both smartphones began to pile up. Overheating devices, battery problems, and a plethora of other issues have been reported across social media and on each company’s respective fan sites and official support forums.

However, for the most part, the problems aren’t with the iPhone 15 and Pixel 8. Consumers shouldn’t beware. Prospective buyers should just wait a bit. There’s no need to be an early adopter.

iPhone 15’s easy overheating fix

The overheating issue was perhaps the most prevalent problem facing the iPhone 15 immediately following its release last month. Some users were saying that they couldn’t even pick the phone up as it would get too hot. And this would occur when the phone was being used for simple web browsing –– or when the phone was charging and not being utilized at all.

Apple responded to the issue and let users know that it identified the issues: Some apps had yet to roll out an update, optimizing for the new phone. Also, there was an iOS bug that was affecting the iPhone 15, too. Those apps rolled out updates and Apple launched a new version of iOS 17 that rectified the issue. Tests found that the issue was solved and the iPhone 15 was now running much cooler. In addition, the solution didn’t hinder the device’s performance either.

If you were to buy an iPhone 15 today, weeks after launch, you likely wouldn’t even have known there was an overheating problem for Apple’s latest flagship smartphones.

It’s the software

It’s important to note that the iPhone 15 and Pixel 8 have suffered from software issues –– not hardware ones. If there was something wrong with the physical phones at a design or manufacturing level, that would likely need to be addressed via a recall of the actual devices.

But we have not seen that yet. As previously mentioned, Apple rolled out an iOS update to deal with the overheating issue. The company also managed to fix an out-of-the-box setup bug that some buyers at launch experienced with an iOS update as well.

When it comes to Google’s Pixel 8, it also appears that the latest operating system, Android 14, is the cause of these issues as well. Users of older Pixel model phones have reported bugs since updating last month. But similar issues also plagued the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 years before and were fixed via a software update.

Fixes rolled out or on the way

For Pixel 8 users, the current biggest problem appears to be connectivity issues. Owners of the latest Google smartphone have reported that the phone acts fine while connecting via WiFi, but drops calls –– or completely loses service –– when on a cellular connection.

Another major issue for Pixel 8 users is battery drain. The Pixel 8 is reportedly losing a lot of juice after very little use. But, as previously mentioned and pointed out by other outlets, Pixel users have been here before. Previous generations of the Pixel have had the same issues and most of these bugs were fixed via software or firmware updates.

Being an early adopter has its perks. You get to be one of the first on your block to show off the latest gadget. But it has its perils as well. You must deal with being a test subject, dealing with all the bugs that get fixed before the masses adopt the device.

So yeah, you should beware of the issues with the iPhone 15 and Pixel 8, but most of all, be patient. They will be fixed.