iOS 9 to Focus Heavily on Stability and Optimization

With iOS 7, Apple introduced a major design overhaul and with iOS 8, we gained features like Continuity, Apple Pay, and new app abilities like extensions and widgets. Following these two ambitious OS updates, it seems iOS 9 may be somewhat less flashy, focusing heavily on stability and optimization.

Sources who spoke to 9to5Mac have suggested that Apple will market iOS 9 similarly to OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, which was also a maintenance upgrade that resulted in improved performance and better efficiency.

For 2015, iOS 9 is going to include a collection of under-the-hood improvements. Sources tell us that iOS 9 engineers are putting a "huge" focus on fixing bugs, maintaining stability, and boosting performance for the new operating system, rather than solely focusing on delivering major new feature additions. Apple will also continue to make efforts to keep the size of the OS and updates manageable, especially for the many millions of iOS device owners with 16GB devices.

An operating system update that aims to optimize performance and fix lingering bugs will likely be welcome news to many iOS 8 users who have been unhappy with the state of the operating system. iOS 8 has suffered from an above average number of bugs since its September introduction, causing issues like slow Wi-Fi, battery drain, screen rotation problems, Bluetooth connectivity failures, and more. The last few minor iOS 8 updates, including 8.1.1, 8.1.2, and 8.1.3 have all been focused on fixing some of these problems.

Apple's goal of reducing the amount of space needed for an operating system update is also welcome news to users who have 16GB devices without much storage space left. iOS 8 has seen slower adoption rates than iOS 7, which many have attributed to its 2GB+ installation size.

Work on iOS 9 is well underway at Apple, and site visits to MacRumors from Apple IP addresses on devices running the new OS have increased over the course of the past month, following the holidays. We first started seeing an uptick in visits from iOS 9 users in December, which declined around Christmas and has picked up once again.

appletraffic

Visitors to MacRumors.com via Apple's networks from devices running iOS 9

An iOS 9 update that aims for bug fixes and performance improvements won't go entirely without new features -- there are still some rumored enhancements in the works that could be released in the next operating system update, including transit directions and indoor mapping abilities for Maps and split-screen multitasking for iPads. We'll get our first glimpse of iOS 9 at June's Worldwide Developers Conference, but a specific date is still forthcoming.

Tag: 9to5Mac

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Changes Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday January 16, 2025 6:45 am PST by
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website. Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50. We have outlined some examples below: Device New Value Old Value iPhone 15 Pro Max Up to $630 U ...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
iPad Pro vs iPhone 17 Air Feature

Here's How Thin the iPhone 17 Air Might Be

Friday January 17, 2025 3:38 pm PST by
For the last several months, we've been hearing rumors about a redesigned version of the iPhone 17 that Apple might call the iPhone 17 "Air," or something along those lines. It's going to replace the iPhone 17 Plus as Apple's fourth iPhone option, and it will be offered alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We know the iPhone 17 Air is going to be super slim, but...
mail categories macos

Apple's Redesigned Mail App is Expanding to the Mac — Here's When

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:02 am PST by
Apple plans to expand the iPhone's redesigned Mail app to the Mac starting with macOS 15.4, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The first macOS 15.4 beta should be made available in the coming weeks, and Apple has previously suggested that the iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4 series of software updates will be released to the public in April. The revamped Mail app debuted on all...
apple power beats pro 2

Powerbeats Pro 2 Coming Soon: Apple to Announce Them 'Imminently'

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:25 am PST by
In September, Apple said that it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and it appears the wireless earbuds are coming very soon. Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the Powerbeats Pro 2 in regulatory databases last month, Gurman said Apple is...

Top Rated Comments

AppleFan115 Avatar
130 months ago
I've been put in charge of making iOS 9 thinner...in file size.
Score: 110 Votes (Like | Disagree)
duffman9000 Avatar
130 months ago
About frigging time!!! Snow Leopard iOS here we come!
Score: 84 Votes (Like | Disagree)
odedia Avatar
130 months ago
HALLELUYAH!

We need another Snow Leopard type of release, both on the Mac and on iOS.
Score: 71 Votes (Like | Disagree)
levitynyc Avatar
130 months ago
Here's a better idea. Instead of having programmers spending countless hours trimming the OS down 25%, do the common sense thing and make the lowest end unit come with 32, then 64, then 128.

I can't believe a 8/16 GB iPhones are still sold.
Score: 53 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tkermit Avatar
130 months ago
Good. Now do the same for OS X 10.11.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
2IS Avatar
130 months ago
it's full of ***** whiners in here, get a life people





PS. iOS 8.1.3 works great on my 5S

Sooo... Whining about the whiners means you have a life?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)