For the past few months, we assumed that the next version of iOS would be light on features and heavy on performance improvements and bug fixes. But a new report suggests that may not be the case — in fact, iOS 17 may be the most exciting release in years.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, in the latest edition of its Power On newsletter, Apple deviated from its initial strategy for iOS 17, which was originally to “focus more on fixing bugs and improving performance than on” adding new features. Right now, he says, Apple is all about new features, and iOS 17 should introduce many “nice” features when it arrives this fall.
While it does not disclose what these features are, it does say that they are among the “most requested features” by iPhone users. It’s not hard to list the features we’ve been looking for for years – multiple users, custom icons, multiple timers, multitasking, separate volume controls for media and calls, and more. — but Gorman says functionality will be smaller since iOS 17 “lacks improvements like last year’s revamped lock screen.”
But it’s still an interesting idea and it makes waiting for iOS 17 even more difficult. Although Apple hasn’t officially announced the dates yet, it will show off the next version of iOS during its WWDC keynote in June before its full release this fall. Gurman did not say whether iPadOS 17 and macOS 14, which will debut at WWDC, will have the same strategy.
To keep up with the latest rumors, be sure to bookmark our iOS 17 super guide to catch all the news and rumors as they arrive.
