Apple Aiming to Improve Software Quality With iOS 16 by Encouraging Beta Testers to Submit Bugs

[JM]

I suspect Apple really saw the feedback from iOS 15 and a lot of the intermittent glitches and issues users were having over the course of the last year. And I think they’re really looking to turn iOS 16 around, especially given that the first beta seems to be fairly solid from recent threads, which is a really good sign leading into September.

My hopeful nature agrees with you, but my pessimistic side is saying that they should have released a lot less new features. I was surprised at how much they announced, knowing they have a long way to go to cleaning up iOS 15.

(Unless they could surprise me and fix it by September.)

 

[nicolas_s]

Then what was the point of Public Beta? 🙄

Yeah, yeah… they’re doing MORE to train the public to submit bug reports, but they should have done it from the beginning if they’re going to do public beta.

There always has been a Feedback app so they've always been doing it, they're just improving the process

 

[MNGR]

I have only seen a few return myself but the reports will surface a trend over time as others report the same. Not perfect but I still submit my info to the pool. I hear you though.

I reported a bug in TVOS. Got an almost immediate response with a promised fix. Received 2 follow up communications to confirm when the issue was resolved. About 7 to 10 days later.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Aiming to improve software quality with iOS 16 should be the #1 priority. Apple really needs to work on the stability and focus on all the bugs on their end.

 

[nfl46]

Agreed here. Battery is my biggest issue right now, but that's to be expected on a beta 1, and even then it's not terrible. Other than that, nothing that's been a dealbreaker. Mostly just minor things!

I guess I haven’t felt the battery issue since I’m using a 13PM. This thing just keeps going and going.

 

[StudioMacs]

I reported a bug in TVOS. Got an almost immediate response with a promised fix. Received 2 follow up communications to confirm when the issue was resolved. About 7 to 10 days later.

Same here.

If you had “match frame rate” enabled, it was impossible the perform wireless audio calibration on all the supported refresh rates the Apple TV would switch to because Apple removed them from video settings (leaving just a few major options).

In the US, as one example, you couldn’t pick 50hz and calibrated it, so every time a BBC or British program came on, my audio went out of sync.

I reported the bug, which was a UI issue, and an engineer reached out to me on Easter Sunday last year for more information.

Now it’s an absolute mess of refresh rates and resolutions in settings, and it’s a chore to go through and calibrate each one match frame frame will switch to, but I like to joke that the one bug i helped fix made it less Apple-like and much nerdier.

 

[CraigJDuffy]

Yes, but you don't know imperial measures. Trust me, if we were here together I could demonstrate that you don't know imperial, sadly if I were to test you on a forum most would probably DuckDuckGo the answers and pretend they knew them. You don't know the imperial system, only two people I have ever tested in person did and one was over "72", the Westminster clowns have failed for decades to finish the jobs they begin and as such people now have no idea that they don't know measurements.





Both incorrect, anyone under the age of 70 who was taught imperial measures in a public school was at a school that broke the rules. You are (as most do) mis remembering. In the case you really were taught it in a public school then congratulations! You are entitled to sue the school for compensation!

I’m not misremembering and I can’t sue for compensation. I’m literally a teacher who teaches using miles per hour and here is an example of this in the curriculum from BBC ByteSize - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z8bk2nb/revision/3

Why would you be able to sue for teaching kids how to read road signs?

 

[CraigJDuffy]

If you're on beta and you're not reporting bugs, then what the heck are you even doing?

Not reported any bugs yet because I haven’t encountered any 😂

 

[CraigJDuffy]

Over 100 years of education!

Whoops, my bad. I mean I’m a teacher so who knows - maybe I will retire in 2115 rather than 2015 when I actually left school 😂

 

[TheMacDaddy1]

iOS 16 is actually much better than iOS 15 when it comes to bugs and stability. Considering how many changes were made in iOS 16 its assuring.

"Considering how many changes were made in iOS 16 its assuring."

We are talking software, Apple software at that, there is NOTHING assuring about a new iOS version being less buggy because there are a higher than normal amount of changes.

You did nothing but re-enforce my thoughts on waiting for 4-6 months of updates before I move over. The amount of problems I had with 14 and 15 were infuriating. I have actually switched backed to Google maps recently after twice this year Apple maps have given me directions that used closed down freeways, both in LA and Orlando when trying to get to the airports to leave town.

I had crazy issues with Car Play in my Chevy Truck after both 14 and 15. 14 finally got an update to fix the issue and 15 never did. Luckily I found a video on YouTube telling my I had disable the EQ in the music app to get my whole system in my truck to stop rebooting when my phone was plugged in....as in full crash and reboot while I driving down the road. In my case my EQ was off, so the fix was to enable it and then disable it. This was after I factory reset my Truck's system multiple times, reset my iPhone etc.

It works as it should now....no early iOS updates for me anymore. Nothing in iOS 16 screams have to have. Smartphones are like microwave ovens these days. I use one for specific tasks and, while I know I have a 12pro....it does not matter what model I have. In fact I tried to get my daughter a new iPhone, her 11 had a bad battery, and she just wanted a new battery because moving to a new phone, even an iPhone is a hassle for most people.

 

[maxfromdenmark]

Reporting bugs to Apple (through the normal feedback channels) is a full-time job. I sometimes wonder if they even use their own kit.

I reported a few bugs in iOS 12 and got response for my report. However remember that they got hundreds messages each single day and it may be tough to respond all of them.

 

[JEY]

Beta testers submitting bugs??! S T F U 😉

 

[walnuts]

But will they listen?

On the Apple support forums users complain about decade-old bugs all the time. Some of the topics span tens of pages, with many users reporting the same issues. They have submitted the bugs via the official web page. They have talked to Apple support in person, even escalating the issues to supervisors. The bugs are still there.

Yeah- while I really appreciate the apparent extra effort to respond to bug reports, this feels like gaslighting. It’s YOUR fault we have been ignoring all your bug reports because they weren’t concise enough or done wrong or something…There has been plenty of anecdotal evidence of people painstakingly reporting bugs and getting less than satisfactory responses (or are totally ignored).

 

[StudioMacs]

"Considering how many changes were made in iOS 16 its assuring."

We are talking software, Apple software at that, there is NOTHING assuring about a new iOS version being less buggy because there are a higher than normal amount of changes.

You did nothing but re-enforce my thoughts on waiting for 4-6 months of updates before I move over. The amount of problems I had with 14 and 15 were infuriating. I have actually switched backed to Google maps recently after twice this year Apple maps have given me directions that used closed down freeways, both in LA and Orlando when trying to get to the airports to leave town.

I had crazy issues with Car Play in my Chevy Truck after both 14 and 15. 14 finally got an update to fix the issue and 15 never did. Luckily I found a video on YouTube telling my I had disable the EQ in the music app to get my whole system in my truck to stop rebooting when my phone was plugged in....as in full crash and reboot while I driving down the road. In my case my EQ was off, so the fix was to enable it and then disable it. This was after I factory reset my Truck's system multiple times, reset my iPhone etc.

It works as it should now....no early iOS updates for me anymore. Nothing in iOS 16 screams have to have. Smartphones are like microwave ovens these days. I use one for specific tasks and, while I know I have a 12pro....it does not matter what model I have. In fact I tried to get my daughter a new iPhone, her 11 had a bad battery, and she just wanted a new battery because moving to a new phone, even an iPhone is a hassle for most people.

Yes. I always wait to update iOS to make sure there are no dealbreakers in things like CarPlay and HomeKit that I rely on.

it’s the same for Mac for software I rely on for work — since like system 8.6 in the ‘90s.

This isn’t new, or unique to Apple. It’s what everyone should do With any software ever.

 

[ghostface147]

I came here to say exactly this. I reported over 60 bugs over the years and I rarely got a response or a fix.

I've actually had more success emailing Federeghi or Cook and getting responses from engineering that way.

 

[royazr]

Apple is taking extra steps with iOS and iPadOS 16 to encourage those testing the company's latest software to submit bugs and issues they experience so they can be fixed ahead of the software's launch this fall.

Apple this week announced iOS 16, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, and macOS Ventura, each major updates for their respective platforms. None of the updates will be available to the general public until later this fall, but over the summer, members of Apple's developer program will test and run the software on their devices. The testing is meant to help developers prepare their apps for the updates and allows Apple to fix and receive feedback on the updates before they ship to millions of customers.

As the software are pre-release software, they are typically filled with bugs and issues. Beta testers can submit issues they find using the Feedback app that comes pre-installed. The process of submitting bugs and feedback is, however, sometimes complicated, and beta testers don't always submit issues they encounter. The lack of feedback makes it harder for Apple to identify and patch bugs before the software launches, but Apple is hoping to change that this year.

Starting with iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 beta 1 released this week, if an iPhone or iPad experiences a crash, reboot, or serious system-wide bug, the system will automatically prompt the beta tester to submit the issue to Apple, including any relevant logs that could be used by Apple's engineer in fixing the problem.

Ahead of WWDC this week, Apple also shared tips on how to submit effective bug reports. Apple's tips include making sure beta testers report bugs as soon as they happen, making sure the reports are concise and detailed enough to allow Apple to reproduce the issue, and ensuring any relevant screenshots or screen recordings of the problem are filed, if applicable.

Apple has over the years come under increased scrutiny from users over buggy and unstable software updates. iOS 15, the current version of iOS, was plagued by issues when it launched in September 2021.

With a slate of new software updates coming this fall, Apple is clearly hoping the new pop-up and advisory to developers will help it find and address issues before the updates launch, resulting in a more stable experience for customers. Members of the public will have a chance to test iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura, and watchOS 9 later next month.

Article Link: Apple Aiming to Improve Software Quality With iOS 16 by Encouraging Beta Testers to Submit Bugs

Asked to improve the ScreenTime functionality by adding options to restrict personal hotspot with no response. Current restrictions are not relevant and can be easily bypassed. No one at Apple care about this feedback.

 

[now i see it]

yeah blame the software problems on the beta testers - geez

 

[Paddle1]

Yes, but you don't know imperial measures. Trust me, if we were here together I could demonstrate that you don't know imperial, sadly if I were to test you on a forum most would probably DuckDuckGo the answers and pretend they knew them. You don't know the imperial system, only two people I have ever tested in person did and one was over "72", the Westminster clowns have failed for decades to finish the jobs they begin and as such people now have no idea that they don't know measurements.





Both incorrect, anyone under the age of 70 who was taught imperial measures in a public school was at a school that broke the rules. You are (as most do) mis remembering. In the case you really were taught it in a public school then congratulations! You are entitled to sue the school for compensation!

In Canada the metric system is actually used for things such as road signs and as a result Siri gives distances in kilometres. The reason it doesn't in the UK is because miles is the standard measurement for vehicle travel. It's not something they did by accident.

 

[6787872]

Obviously Apple has QA, but QA is only as good as the test cases they write and use; Apple's test cases can't account for every single interaction. Having beta testers out there trying the software in ways Apple's test cases didn't expect means the public release will be even better.

they laid off ~75% of their QA teams. the developers do the rest of the testing. and us.

 

[w5jck]

Hmmm, maybe Apple should just fix bugs for a couple of years and replace the moron managers who have allowed their OSes to become bug sanctuaries.

 

[xgman]

Most of the bugs aren't going to throw error reports like that, so not very useful

 

[MallardDuck]

We don’t report them because they go into a black hole. No feedback, and rarely a fix.

 

[Arguyle]

If you're on beta and you're not reporting bugs, then what the heck are you even doing?

Developing apps for the next version, we don't work for Apple. We run our software businesses.

I’m not misremembering and I can’t sue for compensation. I’m literally a teacher who teaches using miles per hour and here is an example of this in the curriculum from BBC ByteSize - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z8bk2nb/revision/3

Why would you be able to sue for teaching kids how to read road signs?

You should be teaching them how to read road signs... in metric. Good to see you highlighting who we can take to court here 🤪 But then the whole country is doing it's impression of the Titanic right now, even trying to bring back imperial measures nobody understands as it sinks into the sea, good luck with your teaching!

In Canada the metric system is actually used for things such as road signs and as a result Siri gives distances in kilometres. The reason it doesn't in the UK is because miles is the standard measurement for vehicle travel. It's not something they did by accident.

Yes, and I too have set my devices to display measures to me just like they do to you and 96.2% of the humans on earth... yet Siri still talks to me like I'm a rare 72 year old man who doesn't know what a metre is! 🤣

 

[StuBeck]

They can't do this when they then complain about people submitting bugs they think they've already fixed but haven't. They're a trillion dollar company, they can get better public bug reporting by paying people for this. Until they do this they can't complain either way.

 

[munpip214]

What really needs to happen is that users can search for bugs and add their support and details to them. If they really want to fix this then they need to turn their feedback app into a community where they share details with everyone instead of it being a black hole most the time. Having 5000 people submit the same report without feedback from apple is annoying. I would be more willing to submit obscure bugs knowing I can search and see others have it too. Sometimes I restart and the issues are fixed so I don’t bother.