Apple Halts iOS 18 Development to Address Surge in Software Bugs

Apple has temporarily ceased the advancement of its forthcoming software updates, namely macOS, watchOS, and iOS, to enhance the overall quality after detecting an unexpectedly high number of bugs. This hiatus in development has also affected visionOS, which is integral to the anticipated Apple Vision Pro spatial computer set for release next year.

Contrary to Apple's standard practice where engineers progress to subsequent developmental milestones post initial achievements, the process has hit an unusual snag. As a customary part of pre-release software development, bugs are to be expected, yet the current situation has been deemed atypical due to the volume of issues uncovered.

The delay in the second developmental milestone underlines the complexities of synchronising software across a vast array of systems and devices, a challenge compounded when thousands of Apple employees contribute to the coding efforts. According to a Bloomberg source familiar with the matter, the sheer scale of personnel involved can lead to significant operational breakdowns.

This intermission in the workflow, initiated last week, is anticipated to be lifted shortly. It sheds light on the software quality improvement measures implemented by Craig Federighi, Apple’s Senior Vice President for Software Engineering. Since a 2019 overhaul in software development practices, each new feature must be activated individually using 'feature flags,' allowing for isolated testing to determine its impact before integration into the operating system.

Federighi also introduced the 'Pact,' an internal commitment to prevent regression — instances where functional software begins to falter — and ensure swift resolution of such issues. This commitment to quality became particularly pivotal following the buggy launch of iOS 13 in 2018. Although Apple's software stability has seen improvements in subsequent years, the latest iOS 17, particularly on the new iPhone 15 models, has also been released with bugs, indicating that challenges in software refinement persist.