Apple is working on iOS 14.8, despite the launch of the new iOS 15 iPhone software in just over a month. The news comes after a mention of iOS 14.8 was discovered in an Apple developer environment via the Xcode 13 beta 4, tech site wccftech reports, indicating that iOS 14.7 was not the last major iPhone point release before the release of iOS 15 this Fall.
Even more mysteriously, there is no other information detailing iOS 14.8’s new features, so it’s highly possible the new iPhone upgrade will simply consist of bug fixes and security patches.
This actually makes perfect sense. We already know that iOS 15 is going to be the first iPhone software update that Apple users won’t have to update to in order to stay secure. That’s because from the time iOS 15 is released, the iPhone maker is going to carry on releasing security fixes for iOS 14. In other words, you can stay on iOS 14 if you like and still stay secure. It’s game-changing for iPhone security.
Many people prefer to wait to upgrade their iPhones, especially when Apple launches major software upgrades such as iOS 15. In the past, I have always advised people to suffer bugs in order to ensure their iPhone is secure.
This is no longer the case once iOS 15 is launched, and the timing of iOS 14.8 indicates that the new iPhone release could precede or even coincide with this Fall’s big update.
iOS 14.8 to iOS 15—Apple offers more choice to users
Apple is “really drumming home the offer of choice,” says Jake Moore, cybersecurity specialist at ESET, who points to Apple’s already improved privacy ethos starting in iOS 14 with major features such as App Tracking Transparency.
And iOS 14.8 could offer “default security whether people chose to stick or twist”—which will give you a few weeks leeway if you’d rather hold off upgrading to iOS 15, Moore says.
It’s a great move by Apple, but it’s important to remember that iOS 15 includes huge upgrades to privacy too, such as email tracking prevention and app tracking reports. Yes, Apple is making some changes to iCloud and iMessage to protect child safety in iOS 15, which many people say comes at the cost of user privacy and has the potential to be misused.
Even so, the wider updates in iOS 15 are huge, making this update worth it if you care about privacy. But by all means, hold off a few weeks, as iOS 14.8 could be the first time you can wait and still remain secure.