Click to Skip Ad
Closing in...

Apple snafu makes people think iOS 9 was just released

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 9:05PM EST
iOS 9 Release

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

When it comes to consumer devices, there is none better than Apple. Software and services, however, are a different story. Apple is great at laying the groundwork; iOS and OS X are fantastic platforms that somehow manage to be wildly capable and yet surprisingly simple. But the software and services Apple builds to add value to its platform are often riddled with issues. MobileMe, Ping, iCloud and other offerings often have annoying bugs and illogical UX issues that enrage some users. In fact, many people are still having serious issues with Apple’s latest new service, Apple Music.

Apple also tends to run into issues with new software releases. Remember when Apple’s iOS 8.0.1 update rendered tens of thousands of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus handsets completely useless? Now, another little snafu has left people thinking that iOS 9 was accidentally released over the weekend.

DON’T MISS: Making the Apple Watch mine

Apple’s private iOS 9 betas are intended for developer use only, but that doesn’t stop thousands upon thousands of Apple fans from registering $99 developer accounts in order to get their hands on early pre-release versions of iOS. This past weekend, many of those users saw the following message pop up on their iPhones and iPads:

When users went into settings to update their devices, however, no new software was available. So naturally, dozens of them kept checking for updates repeatedly and sent BGR frantic emails wondering what was going on…

People familiar with the little bumps along the road to Apple’s new software releases know this isn’t a big deal. But since Apple doesn’t prevent regular end users from joining the iOS developer program, a huge portion of the people currently using Apple’s iOS 9 developer betas probably shouldn’t be.

UPDATE: We’ve now heard from several users on the public iOS 9 beta that they received the pop-up as well

So with that, a quick PSA: No, Apple didn’t accidentally release iOS 9 early. And no, the iOS 9 GM wasn’t pushed out this past weekend either. There’s nothing wrong with your iPhone or iPad that’s preventing it from downloading updates. It was a mistake.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.