Apple’s staggered release of iOS 18 features is said to be hindering the development of iOS 19, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Previously, Apple generally would announce the new software features at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June and issue the full updates in September with new iPhone models. But with the arrival of iOS 18 and its range of gradual Apple Intelligence features, this cadence has been interrupted, and users can anticipate a long wait for iOS 19’s innovations, set to debut at WWDC 2025.
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Delayed iOS 19 Development Due to Phased Rollout of iOS 18 Features
According to the report by Gurman on X (previously known as Twitter), engineers who normally would have started work on the next big version of iOS have instead continued to polish iOS 18 features through point updates like iOS 18.4, which will reportedly ship in spring 2024. This lengthy rollout of iOS 18 features is cascading into the development schedule for iOS 19. The arrangement could lead to a similarly drawn-out rollout of iOS 19 features, excessively frustrating Apple users accustomed to quicker and more regular updates.
Gurman previously reported that iOS 19 would feature a major update to Siri, which would use large language models to make the assistant much more conversational, even like ChatGPT. A preview of the upgrade is expected at WWDC 2025, but the feature may not actually arrive until iOS 19.4, slated for spring 2026.
It’s also delaying the rollout of other features slated for iOS 19, as the remaining work to finalize iOS 18 updates continues. Some major features that were originally set to arrive in the launch edition of iOS 19 will now instead be moved to the final version of iOS 19.4, said Gurman. That’s also a host of nifty upgrades that’ll send Apple owners huddling together this iOS cycle.
On Wednesday, Apple released iOS 18.2, which introduces several Apple Intelligence features first announced in September alongside the iPhone 16 series. Subsequent updates such as iOS 18.3 and iOS 18.4 should add even more polish, turning on-screen awareness for Siri on and giving apps deeper control.
FAQs
What is causing delays in the development of iOS 19?
The staggered rollout of iOS 18 features, especially Apple Intelligence updates, is keeping engineers busy and delaying the development of iOS 19.
When will the new Siri upgrade be available?
The Siri upgrade in iOS 19, powered by large language models, is expected to be previewed at WWDC 2025 but won’t be available until iOS 19.4 in the spring of 2026.
