Apple's staggered release of iOS 18 features is reportedly causing delays in the development of iOS 19, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Historically, Apple has unveiled new software features at WWDC in June and then released fully complete software updates in September alongside new iPhone models. However, thanks to the gradual rollout of Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18, iPhone users look set for a long wait before they get to use many of the new iOS 19 features that Apple will inevitably promote at WWDC 2025.
In a new post on X (Twitter), Gurman said that he continues to hear that engineers who would typically be transitioning to work on the next major iOS version are still occupied with implementing features for iOS 18 updates through iOS 18.4, expected in the spring.
Gurman reports that this extended rollout of iOS 18 features through various point releases is creating a cascading effect on iOS 19's development timeline. The situation is unfortunately expected to result in a similarly staggered deployment of features in the next iOS cycle that is likely to frustrate many Apple users.
The latest development follows a report from Gurman last month that iOS 19 will include a significant Siri upgrade powered by large language models, making the assistant more conversational and similar to ChatGPT. Apple is expected to preview this enhancement at WWDC 2025 in June, but it won't be available until iOS 19.4 in the spring of 2026.
The current focus on iOS 18 updates appears to be affecting more than just the Siri upgrade, though. Gurman in November said that "a larger-than-usual number of features" initially planned for iOS 19's release are now postponed until iOS 19.4.
I continue to hear that the gradual rollout of features across iOS 18 to iOS 18.4 is leading to delays of some features scheduled for iOS 19. That will lead to a long term rollout of features next cycle as well. Engineers are stuck working on iOS 18 projects when they’d usually… — Mark Gurman (@markgurman) December 12, 2024
Apple on Wednesday released iOS 18.2, introducing several new Apple Intelligence features that it has been advertising since September when the iPhone 16 series launched. iOS 18.2 is the last iOS update of 2024, with iOS 18.3 and iOS 18.4 set to bring on-screen awareness to Siri, deeper per-app controls, and several other enhancements.
