Some iOS 16 Features Aren’t Ready but It’s for the Best—Here’s Why GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO News > Phones

Some iOS 16 Features Aren’t Ready, but It’s for the Best—Here’s Why

The wait may be worth it

By Oliver Haslam Oliver Haslam Oliver Haslam is a freelance tech reporter for Lifewire, having written for iMore, How to Geek, Macworld, PC Mag, and many more for more than 10 years. lifewire's editorial guidelines Published on September 14, 2022 12:52PM EDT Fact checked by Jerri Ledford Fact checked by Jerri Ledford Western Kentucky University Gulf Coast Community College Jerri L. Ledford has been writing, editing, and fact-checking tech stories since 1994. Her work has appeared in Computerworld, PC Magazine, Information Today, and many others. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Phones Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming Apple’s big iOS 16 update is now available for download, but not all of its features are ready yet.Some features won’t be available until another update is released later this year—likely iOS 16.1.Apple previously released features that were sometimes broken, and this approach prevents bugs from reaching iPhone owners. Penfer / Unsplash Not all of the features announced as part of the big iOS 16 update are available at launch, but experts agree that Apple made the right decision to release them later in the name of quality and stability. iOS 16 is the latest version of the software that powers Apple's iPhones, including the brand new iPhone 14 lineup. But Apple decided to remove some features from the initial iOS 16 release to give it more time to work on them, with the company confirming that they will be released later this year instead. It's a decision that means hotly anticipated features like Live Activities aren't available yet, but the delay is one that experts believe was warranted. "The delayed launch of features is a bit messy this year," independent app developer Will Bishop told Lifewire via direct message when asked about Apple's staggered launch. "Ultimately, I prefer the approach of shipping better software later, rather than bad software now."

A Question of Quality

When Apple first announced iOS 16 during its WWDC22 event in June, it made a great deal of noise about the new features that iPhone users should look forward to. Since then, some of those features have been delayed until later this year, while others were given a similar release date at the time. So why announce features that weren't yet ready, and why did some features appear in beta versions of iOS 16, only to be removed? The hotly anticipated iCloud Shared Photo Library is one such feature. Apple initially let people beta-test it before removing it from later releases. To some, including app developer Damien Petrilli who wrote on Twitter that this delay proves Apple's annual release cadence is unsustainable. The iOS 16 update comes a year after iOS 15, which itself was released a year after iOS 14, and so on. Apple has already been forced to delay iPadOS 16—an update original expected in September 2022—for a whole month to allow it to iron out bugs. If Petrilli is correct, might we see more delays like this in the future? If we do, most experts agree that wouldn't be a bad thing for iPhone users around the globe. Technology analyst Jeff Kagan, told Lifewire in email, that he believes Apple is doing the right thing even if some people would prefer a different approach. "Early adopters prefer an early release, even if there are problems," he said. "The average user prefers no problems and is willing to wait."

Worth the Wait

People will need to wait for various features, including Live Activities, the aforementioned iCloud Shared Photo Library, and a new digital whiteboard feature called Freeform, among others. All of them, bar Matter support which Apple is waiting on the final specification for, could have launched by now. Live Activities, however, is tied to a new iPhone 14 Pro feature—the Dynamic Island—that hadn't been announced yet. All iPhones will get Live Activities, but they behave differently on the new Pro model phones. Apple may have held the feature back to avoid outing the changes too early (though it still leaked). Apple Users hope the features will be worth the wait, not just for Live Activities support but for everything that didn't make the iOS 16 release date. And if experts are right, Apple is using the extra time to polish those features and iron out any bugs that might otherwise have been in the hands of real people everywhere. As Kagan said, that's the most important thing for the vast majority of Apple's huge iPhone-carrying community. In fact, Kagan suggests those people might want to take Apple's lead a step further. "That is why I recommend never upgrading the iOS on your phones, tablets, or computers until months later," he said. "Give the company a chance to find and fix problems that get in the way of the user experience." Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire iOS 16: News, Price, Release Date, and Features The History of iOS, from Version 1.0 to 16.0 iPhone 15: News, Rumors, and Estimated Price, Release Date, and Specs iPhone 14: Release Date, Specs, Price, and News iPadOS 16: Release Date, Features, News, and Price iPhone SE Plus: News and Expected Price, Release Date, Specs; and More Rumors The 15 Best Hidden Features in iOS 16 The Foldable iPhone: News and Expected Price, Release Date, Specs; and More Rumors Apple Glasses: News and Expected Price, Release Date, Specs; and More Rumors How to Sign Up for Apple's iOS Public Beta Program How to Customize an iPhone Lockscreen in iOS 16 When Does the New iPhone Come Out? Google Pixel 7 & 7 Pro: News, Price, Release Date, Specs & More Should You Upgrade Your iPhone 4 to iOS 7? What Is macOS? Behind the Invention and Evolution of the iPad Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies