iOS 11.x.x Release Speculation Thread

[gwhizkids]

I am guessing you are referring to the versioning explanation that was posted way back in iOS 10 days? If so here is the copy of that post. Credit to @dreadlord https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...culation-thread.2027218/page-32#post-24378406

*****
Explanation of iOS build numbers

14 = Major version. Here it says it is an iOS 10 build. '13' means iOS 9 so on so forth.
E = Minor version. First major version starts with 'A' which is x.0 launch release. iOS 10 (14A403). It is not necessary to be a 10.x point release to increment this it may be 10.x.x release. Usually Apple increment this when kernel version changes.
5 = It means that this build is not prepared for public release. Builds have this in build number will not release as stable build.
269 = Actual build number. It means that it is the 269th build of iOS 10.3. There may be a lot of code changes. Generally Apple has a new build everyday. And Apple tests these builds 1 week before releasing it. So, 14E269a went to Apple test team last week to test if there is a major bug. If there is see the next:
a = Revision letter. If Apple test team find bugs, they sends a report to engineering team. Engineering team tries to fix some of them and increments the revision letter. It looks like test team hasn't found any bugs to be fixed before releasing it. So, Apple released to us.

So what can we understand from today's beta?

The build number has '5' before the actual build number. Hence, this is not the build we will see when Apple releases iOS 10.3 stable. I personally expect one more beta, but it may have '5' before the actual build number. Last beta of the iOS 9.3 release is iOS 9.3 beta 7 and its build number is 13E5234a, public release iOS 9.3 build number is 13E234. It means that Apple hasn't prepared beta 7 build as final release but it looked promising, so they released it as it was.

See?

iOS 9.3 beta 7 = 13E5234a
iOS 9.3 final = 13E234

We do not know if final release is same as beta 7. Actual build numbers are same but revision letter may be 'b' instead of 'a'. But very minor thing changes in revisions.

Can revision letter say how good build is?

Well... I think, yes. Take a look at iOS 10.3 betas:

iOS 10.0 beta 1: 14A5261v

Do you see 'v'? Yes, Apple has a, b, c, ... v revision builds before releasing the first beta of iOS 10 to fix some minor bugs before introducing shiny iOS 10 to us.

iOS 10.3 beta 1: 14E5230e
iOS 10.3 beta 2: 14E5239e
iOS 10.3 beta 3: 14E5249d
iOS 10.3 beta 4: 14E5260b
iOS 10.3 beta 5: 14E5269a

It can be clearly seen Apple test team found less and less bugs and reported to engineering team. As result revision letter comes close to 'a' (finally we see 'a') as final release approaches.

One last note, revisions generally happen in 1 or 2 day(s). It is pointless to spend much time in one build, because they have a new one already. I mentioned that Apple sends builds to test team 1 week before. So, when test team sent the report of 14E5269a, engineering team probably was working on 14E5272a. Moreover, iOS 10.3 is not the only branch they are working on. They are working on iOS 10.3, iOS 10.4, iOS 10.4.1 and iOS 11 at the same time. So, it is very complicated actually.

What's next?

I expect one more build as:

iOS 10.3 beta 6: 14E5275a
iOS 10.3 final : 14E275/14E276

How do I know these?

I am a software engineer

Most companies use build systems like Apple does, and the logic is same. For example,

Latest Google Chrome release: 56.0.2924.87

56 = Major
0 = Internal version. It has no purpose.
2924 = Minor
87 = Revision

I hope I've explained the build number thing as clear as I could.
*****

This should be a pinned post. Perhaps we create an “Advanced Beta Speculation” thread for iOS 12 and you have to pass a test on this to be admitted. (j/k Macrumors...we would never do anything to limit anyone's ability to post. )

 

[hank moody]

I am guessing you are referring to the versioning explanation that was posted way back in iOS 10 days? If so here is the copy of that post. Credit to @dreadlord https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...culation-thread.2027218/page-32#post-24378406

*****
Explanation of iOS build numbers

14 = Major version. Here it says it is an iOS 10 build. '13' means iOS 9 so on so forth.
E = Minor version. First major version starts with 'A' which is x.0 launch release. iOS 10 (14A403). It is not necessary to be a 10.x point release to increment this it may be 10.x.x release. Usually Apple increment this when kernel version changes.
5 = It means that this build is not prepared for public release. Builds have this in build number will not release as stable build.
269 = Actual build number. It means that it is the 269th build of iOS 10.3. There may be a lot of code changes. Generally Apple has a new build everyday. And Apple tests these builds 1 week before releasing it. So, 14E269a went to Apple test team last week to test if there is a major bug. If there is see the next:
a = Revision letter. If Apple test team find bugs, they sends a report to engineering team. Engineering team tries to fix some of them and increments the revision letter. It looks like test team hasn't found any bugs to be fixed before releasing it. So, Apple released to us.

So what can we understand from today's beta?

The build number has '5' before the actual build number. Hence, this is not the build we will see when Apple releases iOS 10.3 stable. I personally expect one more beta, but it may have '5' before the actual build number. Last beta of the iOS 9.3 release is iOS 9.3 beta 7 and its build number is 13E5234a, public release iOS 9.3 build number is 13E234. It means that Apple hasn't prepared beta 7 build as final release but it looked promising, so they released it as it was.

See?

iOS 9.3 beta 7 = 13E5234a
iOS 9.3 final = 13E234

We do not know if final release is same as beta 7. Actual build numbers are same but revision letter may be 'b' instead of 'a'. But very minor thing changes in revisions.

Can revision letter say how good build is?

Well... I think, yes. Take a look at iOS 10.3 betas:

iOS 10.0 beta 1: 14A5261v

Do you see 'v'? Yes, Apple has a, b, c, ... v revision builds before releasing the first beta of iOS 10 to fix some minor bugs before introducing shiny iOS 10 to us.

iOS 10.3 beta 1: 14E5230e
iOS 10.3 beta 2: 14E5239e
iOS 10.3 beta 3: 14E5249d
iOS 10.3 beta 4: 14E5260b
iOS 10.3 beta 5: 14E5269a

It can be clearly seen Apple test team found less and less bugs and reported to engineering team. As result revision letter comes close to 'a' (finally we see 'a') as final release approaches.

One last note, revisions generally happen in 1 or 2 day(s). It is pointless to spend much time in one build, because they have a new one already. I mentioned that Apple sends builds to test team 1 week before. So, when test team sent the report of 14E5269a, engineering team probably was working on 14E5272a. Moreover, iOS 10.3 is not the only branch they are working on. They are working on iOS 10.3, iOS 10.4, iOS 10.4.1 and iOS 11 at the same time. So, it is very complicated actually.

What's next?

I expect one more build as:

iOS 10.3 beta 6: 14E5275a
iOS 10.3 final : 14E275/14E276

How do I know these?

I am a software engineer

Most companies use build systems like Apple does, and the logic is same. For example,

Latest Google Chrome release: 56.0.2924.87

56 = Major
0 = Internal version. It has no purpose.
2924 = Minor
87 = Revision

I hope I've explained the build number thing as clear as I could.
*****

amazing. thank you

 

[axari]

Looks like forbes has a news
https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordon...-3-1-release-suddenly-essential/#4a619b264b3d

 

[Sharkoneau]

Looks like forbes has a news
https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordon...-3-1-release-suddenly-essential/#4a619b264b3d

I wouldn’t mind a 11.3.1, but Forbes has had it out for Apple for as long as I can remember. Always claiming in some copy-paste article that each update has some novel, massive problem. I don’t really put stock into what they say.

 

[Diamond Dog]

I wouldn’t mind a 11.3.1, but Forbes has had it out for Apple for as long as I can remember. Always claiming in some copy-paste article that each update has some novel, massive problem. I don’t really put stock into what they say.

The MDM problem actually is a pretty substantial bug. It's impacting our devices at a relatively small company; I can't imagine how much of a headache it is for companies with hundreds of managed devices. I also can't imagine Apple's not working on pushing out an update to address that ASAP, let alone the litany of other issues 11.3 has created.

 

[C DM]

The MDM problem actually is a pretty substantial bug. It's impacting our devices at a relatively small company; I can't imagine how much of a headache it is for companies with hundreds of managed devices. I also can't imagine Apple's not working on pushing out an update to address that ASAP, let alone the litany of other issues 11.3 has created.

The MDM issue is certainly not good and something that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. It's also something that has come up with at least one if not a few updates in the past, if I recall correctly.

That aside, and perhaps a few other seemingly smaller items that might be new (which isn't unusual for updates really), most of the other things that are brought up by Forbes are things that some people run into with pretty much any update over many years--basically nothing exactly all that 11.3 specific or new or all that unusual.

That's not to excuse any issues or anything like that, but just to point out (again) that a good chunk of it is typical sensationalism to get more clicks/views than anything else.

 

[Diamond Dog]

The MDM issue is certainly not good and something that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. It's also something that has come up with at least one if not a few updates in the past, if I recall correctly.

That aside, and perhaps a few other seemingly smaller items that might be new (which isn't unusual for updates really), most of the other things that are brought up by Forbes are things that some people run into with pretty much any update over many years--basically nothing exactly all that 11.3 specific or new or all that unusual.

That's not to excuse any issues or anything like that, but just to point out (again) that a good chunk of it is typical sensationalism to get more clicks/views than anything else.

Totally agree. There always have been bugs, and always will be bugs. If it wasn't for this MDM bug, I imagine Apple would just focus on fixing the other stuff in either 11.4 or 11.3.1 at some future date. Forbes really is sensationalizing things.

That being said, I wouldn't be surprised to see an 11.3.1 to address the MDM bug early next week, like the article suggests.

 

[atlchamp]

I am honestly starting to become disgusted with Apple and their software issues. Hardware has been fine but jesus what they were known for which is "it just works" is a massive gamble these days. I just want to pick up my phone and not have to worry about it doing some weird stuff when im using it.

 

[csurfr]

I wouldn’t mind a 11.3.1, but Forbes has had it out for Apple for as long as I can remember. Always claiming in some copy-paste article that each update has some novel, massive problem. I don’t really put stock into what they say.

While Forbes may have it out for Apple, 11.3 on my iPad Pro (10.5), and X has been pretty bug ridden. All day long I receive notifications from the Podcasts app that something has been updated (it hasn’t), mail.app crashes when attempting to reply, and of course the signal strength shows no bars when switching between apps. More annoyances than anything, but my devices were doing just fine prior to 11.3.

Here’s hoping 11.4 can fix the small things.

 

[Mlrollin91]

I am honestly starting to become disgusted with Apple and their software issues. Hardware has been fine but jesus what they were known for which is "it just works" is a massive gamble these days. I just want to pick up my phone and not have to worry about it doing some weird stuff when im using it.

What do you worry about when you pick up your phone? I have virtually no problems with my 8Plus. Maybe its how I use it, but there is nothing that impacts my day-to-day usage. Do I have the occasional stutter or freeze? Of course, but it doesn't harm me. So I wasted a couple extra seconds trying to do a task. There is nothing catastrophically wrong with my device(s).

 

[atlchamp]

What do you worry about when you pick up your phone? I have virtually no problems with my 8Plus. Maybe its how I use it, but there is nothing that impacts my day-to-day usage. Do I have the occasional stutter or freeze? Of course, but it doesn't harm me. So I wasted a couple extra seconds trying to do a task. There is nothing catastrophically wrong with my device(s).

thats besides the point. The device should not crash when i want to share a song to twitter and @ someone. The cell bars should not go to 0 when I open an app. My apps should not reload when I have a device with 3GB of ram in it. The phone call log should show me what number I dialed WHILE i am on the call and not have to display when I hang up. I should not have so many apps crashing when I open them. WIFI should not be unusable sometimes when there is full signal to where I have to turn on airplane mode to reset things (yes i reset network settings already)

im just fed up with the bugs release after release with apple man. Every time i update my phone they fix something and break something else. What is the problem!

 

[gwhizkids]

That Forbes author makes a living "finding" issues with each Apple release and claiming they are complete showstoppers. It is pretty annoying. There's no question that there seem to be more bugs than ever in iOS. But, like @Mlrollin91, few if any, really impact my use of my phone or iPad. I'd say a contributing factor to this is the proliferation of SKUs in the iOS hardware lineup. But does anyone want less choice than more?

 

[oldmacs]

thats besides the point. The device should not crash when i want to share a song to twitter and @ someone. The cell bars should not go to 0 when I open an app. My apps should not reload when I have a device with 3GB of ram in it. The phone call log should show me what number I dialed WHILE i am on the call and not have to display when I hang up. I should not have so many apps crashing when I open them. WIFI should not be unusable sometimes when there is full signal to where I have to turn on airplane mode to reset things (yes i reset network settings already)

im just fed up with the bugs release after release with apple man. Every time i update my phone they fix something and break something else. What is the problem!

I've felt this way from iOS 11.0-11.2.6. 11.3 seems to have fixed things, but goodness, it just works seems to be a thing of the past.

 

[Mlrollin91]

thats besides the point. The device should not crash when i want to share a song to twitter and @ someone. The cell bars should not go to 0 when I open an app. My apps should not reload when I have a device with 3GB of ram in it. The phone call log should show me what number I dialed WHILE i am on the call and not have to display when I hang up. I should not have so many apps crashing when I open them. WIFI should not be unusable sometimes when there is full signal to where I have to turn on airplane mode to reset things (yes i reset network settings already)

im just fed up with the bugs release after release with apple man. Every time i update my phone they fix something and break something else. What is the problem!

Have you restored as new recently? I honestly have not experienced a single one of this issues with my 8Plus. I keep a good amount of apps open too and they hardly have to reload.

Granted, I have not tried the twitter one. But still.

 

[dannyyankou]

You know iOS is getting bad when it's recommended to restore as new to fix issues lol

 

[atlchamp]

Have you restored as new recently? I honestly have not experienced a single one of this issues with my 8Plus. I keep a good amount of apps open too and they hardly have to reload.

Granted, I have not tried the twitter one. But still.

to be fair based on your posts you never experience anything other people do...you have a holy phone
[doublepost=1523025615][/doublepost]

Have you restored as new recently? I honestly have not experienced a single one of this issues with my 8Plus. I keep a good amount of apps open too and they hardly have to reload.

Granted, I have not tried the twitter one. But still.

I also will not restore as new until they drop icloud imessages. I have texts from my late father that i want on my phone

 

[dannyyankou]

to be fair based on your posts you never experience anything other people do...you have a holy phone
[doublepost=1523025615][/doublepost]
I also will not restore as new until they drop icloud imessages. I have texts from my late father that i want on my phone

Yeah definitely wait for iCloud messages to be official. You never know when they’ll cancel it again.

 

[PBz]

Have you restored as new recently? I honestly have not experienced a single one of this issues with my 8Plus. I keep a good amount of apps open too and they hardly have to reload.

Granted, I have not tried the twitter one. But still.

Haven’t seen these. Just tested Twitter one with no issues. I did DFU - 11.3 clean w/ no app installs - 11.4 public beta.

 

[souko]

to be fair based on your posts you never experience anything other people do...you have a holy phone
[doublepost=1523025615][/doublepost]
I also will not restore as new until they drop icloud imessages. I have texts from my late father that i want on my phone

It is probably beacuse he did not experience it as almost all other people including me...

But you should try backup your phone to iCloud. Do firmware restore over DFU and then restore from backup... and it will most probably work good.

 

[atlchamp]

It is probably beacuse he did not experience it as almost all other people including me...

But you should try backup your phone to iCloud. Do firmware restore over DFU and then restore from backup... and it will most probably work good.

give me a step by step please

 

[souko]

give me a step by step please

How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support

How to Put the iPhone X, iPhone 8, & iPhone 8 Plus into DFU Mode in iTunes « iOS & iPhone :: Gadget Hacks

 

[Mlrollin91]

to be fair based on your posts you never experience anything other people do...you have a holy phone
[doublepost=1523025615][/doublepost]
I also will not restore as new until they drop icloud imessages. I have texts from my late father that i want on my phone

You are right. I don’t experience 90% of what others do because I restore my phone on a yearly basis, if not more frequently. It takes me all of 30 minutes at most to reset it up to my liking. The longest part is my watch and recalibrating it. A lot of what people experience is because of corruption that any software will have. I can’t tell you how many times a year I had to restore my windows XP machine. At least every quarter. And that was a giant pain compared to a phone.

You choosing to not restore is on you. Therefore you have to live with the bugs that you see and can’t complain about them. It’s like those that complain about politics but don’t vote. If you have an option to fix it and don’t exercise it, you can complain. Sorry - I know it’s harsh but it’s true.

 

[gwhizkids]

You are right. I don’t experience 90% of what others do because I restore my phone on a yearly basis, if not more frequently. It takes me all of 30 minutes at most to reset it up to my liking. The longest part is my watch and recalibrating it. A lot of what people experience is because of corruption that any software will have. I can’t tell you how many times a year I had to restore my windows XP machine. At least every quarter. And that was a giant pain compared to a phone.

You choosing to not restore is on you. Therefore you have to live with the bugs that you see and can’t complain about them. It’s like those that complain about politics but don’t vote. If you have an option to fix it and don’t exercise it, you can complain. Sorry - I know it’s harsh but it’s true.

I was having some trouble with Maps (vehicle would "leave" the highway as I'm driving and take a while to "find" itself again) and I spoke with Apple support. They strongly recommend doing iTunes, as opposed to OTA, updates. They said the OTA updates can become corrupted much more easily, as they are patches and add-ons, as opposed to a full on clean install. I think we all know this, but it is so much easier to do the OTAs. I'm going to do this myself today and see if it resolves my issue.

 

[atlchamp]

You are right. I don’t experience 90% of what others do because I restore my phone on a yearly basis, if not more frequently. It takes me all of 30 minutes at most to reset it up to my liking. The longest part is my watch and recalibrating it. A lot of what people experience is because of corruption that any software will have. I can’t tell you how many times a year I had to restore my windows XP machine. At least every quarter. And that was a giant pain compared to a phone.

You choosing to not restore is on you. Therefore you have to live with the bugs that you see and can’t complain about them. It’s like those that complain about politics but don’t vote. If you have an option to fix it and don’t exercise it, you can complain. Sorry - I know it’s harsh but it’s true.

I would totally be okay with restoring my phone's new if I could recover my text messages Which is why I'm waiting for iCloud for iMessages

 

[Mlrollin91]

I would totally be okay with restoring my phone's new if I could recover my text messages Which is why I'm waiting for iCloud for iMessages

Which is completely fair. But What is not fair is you complaining about bugs that you can solve if you were willing to give up your messages.

I couldn’t care less about messages. I delete my threads on a weekly basis. If I have more than 5 at one time, then I forgot that week to purge them. I like a clean and clutter-free phone.