Apple finally has a plan to fix buggy iOS updates, report says

Image: dustin drankoski/mashable

Apple might finally be ready to take the many bugs that’ve been plaguing iOS more seriously.

The company is making a major change to how it approaches software updates that will emphasize reliability and stability over speed, according to a new report in Bloomberg.

Bloomberg wrote that Apple’s software head Craig Federighi told engineers last month they would have “more time to work on new features and focus on under-the-hood refinements without being tied to a list of new features annually simply so the company can tout a massive year-over-year leap.”

Bloomberg’s is the second story in a matter of weeks suggesting Apple will put an increased emphasis on reliability with iOS 12.

That may not sound like much on its face — it’s about the most obvious solution you can think of — but it’s a major departure from previous years, when engineers were tied to aggressive schedules that required them to have major new features ready for Apple’s fall launches. 

But that speed has been detrimental to the overall quality of iOS, some critics say, as evidenced by the unprecedented number of bugs in iOS 11 (not to mention the glaring design inconsistencies.) 

Complaints about bugs have persisted pretty much since it was released, despite lengthy beta testing programs for developers and the public. Here are a few of the bugs Apple has dealt with in the less than six months since iOS 11 was released:

While some bugs are to be expected with any major software release, these are all serious flaws that impact core functions of iOS. It’s no wonder that iPhone and iPad owners aren’t updating their software as quickly as they used to — just 65 percent of iOS users have updated to iOS 11, according to Apple’s developer website. Compare that with 79 percent as of last February and it’s easy to see why Apple is ready to start taking bugs more seriously. 

This new approach will come at the expense of some new iOS features, though. Apple has pushed back updates originally slated for next year, including a redesigned home screen and updates to the Photos app, according to Bloomberg. 

So while the next couple of major iOS updates will likely come with slightly fewer flashy new features, the updates they do make should be much more reliable than what we’ve seen more recently, which should be welcome news for everyone.