Apple’s decision to stagger iOS 18 features is impacting iOS 19, the next operating system. With updates planned through spring 2025, the staggered update strategy for iOS 18 is taking up engineering resources that would normally be shifted to the next major OS release.
Why has Apple halted iOS 19 development?
It’s worth noting that Apple usually releases new iOS versions in the fall with the new iPhone. But the deviation in iOS 18 due to Apple Intelligence has had a domino effect.
Instead of focusing on iOS 19, developers continue to work on versions 18.2 through 18.4. This leads to a waste of engineering resources. In this context, a delayed distribution is expected for iOS 19.
One of the most important casualties of this change was the revamped Siri, supported by major language models. The upgrade, which was scheduled to come out with iOS 19, has now been delayed until iOS 19.4, expected in spring 2026. It’s worth noting that Apple is only offering ChatGPT integration.
But the Siri delay seems to be just the tip of the iceberg. Many features planned for the first iOS 19 release have been pushed to later updates, now 19.4.
Apple had excited its users with iOS 18, which offered important innovations such as customizable home screens and advanced messaging. In this context, the company stopped the iOS 17 signature process after the release of the new operating system, preventing users from returning to the old version.
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