After the iOS 13 fiasco, Apple's iOS 14 release will focus on stable performance
If you remember, Apple released iOS 13.1 beta to developers before it had even pushed the retail to our iPhones and iPads, and we were already at the unprecedented iOS 13.3 beta 3 point two months after the release. That was not done so that we can all be a better person but rather because the iOS 13 development was still done by the old software development rules over at Apple.
According to the previous software testing procedure, all the new and untested features were folded into one big daily build with a disparate level of readiness, resulting in a myriad of bugs been carried out since the first alphas into the final retail release, as many an iPhone or iPad owner became painfully aware. The iOS 13 release brought on crashing apps, including stock ones like Mail or messaging, signal drop glitches, and many more, so Apple had to squash them with beta after beta.
According to Bloomberg's insiders "daily builds were like a recipe with lots of cooks adding ingredients" and "testers would go days without a livable build, so they wouldn’t really have a handle on what’s working and not working." Ouch.
For the iOS 14 edition development, however, codenamed "Azul,"Apple's head of software development Craig Federighi has required all buggy and unfinished features to be turned off by default in the daily builds, and the testers can then choose to flip the switch at will, resulting in a much more streamlined process, ensuring everyone is on the same page. Apple was so adamant to focus on the quality of the new software features it releases, tip the insiders, that it is considering putting some of those it intended to ship with iOS 14 off until next year, to the "Azul+1" project, which will likely end up as iOS 15 in 2021.
According to Bloomberg's insiders "daily builds were like a recipe with lots of cooks adding ingredients" and "testers would go days without a livable build, so they wouldn’t really have a handle on what’s working and not working." Ouch.
Expected Apple iOS 14 features and supported devices list
Thus, what was expected to be one of the most feature-rich software upgrades in Apple's history - you know, the first 5G iPhone and stuff - has been scaled down quite a bit to the aforementioned "changes to augmented-reality capabilities, deeper integration with outside apps and services, and improved Apple Watch fitness features," claims Bloomberg.
Here's a list of the bigger new features we can expect Apple's iOS 14, as it won't be just a performance-oriented release, of course:
- Homescreen customization with widgets and smart dynamic wallpapers
- Change default apps and partial installation with 'Clips'
- AR Maps
- Offline Siri
- PiP for videos
- Fitness app
- iMessage retraction and typing indicator
- Find My app with AR mode and location triggers
- Blood oxygen levels for Apple Watch
As for the list of supported iOS 14 devices, the latest rumors overlap precisely with those who supported iOS 13 at launch, meaning that even the lowly iPhone 6s will get the new goods:
- iPhone SE (2020)
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
- iPhone SE (2016)
- iPhone 6s and 6s Plus
- iPod touch (7th-generation)
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