Apple's new
iPhone software update is about to arrive – though not in its final form.
iOS 13 will make its way to iPhones within hours, at which point it can be easily downloaded through the phone's settings. It will bring a whole range of features, including dark mode and deep changes to apps like Photos and Reminders.
But the update has a problem in that it is not fully ready. It will have some bugs left over that Apple did not have time to fix, and some of its features will be missing.
Throughout the beta testing period, early users of iOS 13 have suggested that it includes a number of bugs and problems, and Apple's release schedule appeared to indicate that the software could not be ready in time
Those problems will not be addressed for two weeks, when Apple pushes out iOS 13.1, on 30 September. That will fix those bugs as well as bring back the missing features, making it the version of iOS 13 that Apple showed off when it introduced the update at its WWDC event in June.
On that same date, Apple will also release an update for the iPad, giving it the new features that were meant to come at the same time as iOS 13. That includes new features like improved multi-tasking, a re-designed home screen and more.
This is the first year that Apple has split the operating systems for iPhone and iPad into separate releases, with the latter being referred to as iPadOS. That has presumably allowed the company to more easily stagger the different releases.
And it will not be until 30 September that Apple TV gets its own software update, too. That update, named tvOS 13, will bring support for multiple users as well as the ability to use Xbox and PS4 controllers with Apple's set-top box.
Apple presumably could not delay the release of iOS 13 for iPhones in the same way as the Apple TV and iPad because the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro will be released this week, and they needed a stable version of the new software to ship on them.
The company did unveil a new iPad at its September event, when the new iPhones were shown off, but that device will not ship until 30 September.