Craig Federighi Admits Apple's Beta Programs Don’t Provide the Interaction and Influence Many Users Desire

[MacRumors]

Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, has admitted that the company's beta testing program, which offers developers and public beta testers access to beta versions of iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS, isn't effective in giving users the amount of influence and interaction they desire.

In an email exchange with MacRumors reader Kieran, Federighi responded to a complaint that Apple’s beta program doesn’t effectively listen to user feedback and suggestions, noting the challenge Apple faces when "literally millions of people participate in our betas, and many, many, many of them want to provide feedback to help influence Apple's products."

When users enroll in Apple's beta program, they're given a device profile that allows them to download early versions of Apple's next operating system, such as iOS 16 and macOS Ventura. Beta testing happens all year round but is most prominent following WWDC in June, where new versions of Apple's operating systems are shown before they're released to the general public in the fall. During the summer, beta testers test the software, finding and reporting bugs, suggestions, and general comments about the new updates.

To provide feedback to Apple, users can use the Feedback app and fill in information about the bug they're experiencing or a suggestion. Often, however, beta users' feedback goes unanswered by Apple. "I agree that the current approach isn't giving many in the community what they'd like in terms of interaction and influence," Federighi admits. "We haven't yet figured out how to achieve that in a practical and constructive way. We'll keep thinking," he continued.

Apple has in the past responded quite drastically to feedback from beta users over changes and new features in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, but only after widespread criticism and coverage.

For example, last year, Apple turned around a design change for Safari on macOS Monterey following widespread user complaints, allowing users to choose between the design it had promised that was more refined and easier to use and the older tab bar design. More recently, Apple also responded to heavy criticism regarding Stage Manager on iPadoS 16 by delaying iPadOS 16's release entirely and key new features until later this year.

While it's unclear what Apple will do to address the ineffectiveness felt by beta users on the part of interaction and influence over Apple's operating system, as admitted by Federighi, we could see an updated approach for next year's batch of new updates, which will include iOS 17 and macOS 14.

Article Link: Craig Federighi Admits Apple's Beta Programs Don’t Provide the Interaction and Influence Many Users Desire

 

[orbital~debris]

While it's unclear what Apple will do to address the ineffectiveness felt by beta users on the part of interaction and influence over Apple's operating system, as admitted by Federighi, we could see an updated approach for next year's batch of new updates, which will include iOS 17 and macOS 14.

Seems to me Apple usually engage with something like this when they have/are soon to have something to bring to the table.

 

[vegetassj4]

I thought the public releases were the betas the way things are going lately

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Sometimes I feel like when users report the bugs they just sit there for months until something big happens.

The overall goal should be: Listen to one feedback at a time and get the bugs sorted out. One by One!

 

[IMPOSSIBLEMAN]

Craig, how about the following points I have been requesting for years:
- Better windows management on MacOS
- Notification sync between devices
- “Proper” iPadOS

I can list dozens of requested features that have been neglected in favor of silly changes to stock apps that are not really worthy of OS upgrades.

 

[SVTmaniac]

Wow you don’t say.. I’d say recent releases would have told us that. Who needs wifi anyways?

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Craig, how about the following points I have been requesting for years:
- Better windows management on MacOS
- Notification sync between devices
- “Proper” iPadOS

I can list dozens of requested features that have been neglected in favor of silly changes to stock apps that are not really worthy of OS upgrades.

How about a Calculator App for an iPad?

 

[JM]

The first step is to admit you have a problem.

At least he publicly admitted it, hopefully it means they will take steps to address it.

 

[nfl46]

Ohhhh trust it's obvious they haven't. Millions of people beta testing for months; however, we still have big bugs that are affecting millions of devices but Apple won't fixed them until the media makes a big deal of it.

 

[goonie4life9]

This is prime example of how Apple’s insistence on secrecy above all else is hampering their technical expertise. Even when specifically asking for feedback and identification of bugs, Apple mandates secrecy first, which disrupts the resolution process.

 

[infinitedreams]

How about a Calculator App for an iPad?

“Go to the App Store, there are tons of calculator apps” - Apple

 

[jclardy]

Forget end users, Apple can’t solve this for developers, the people that make them hundreds of millions of dollars a year between subscription cuts and purchased ads. Spend 30 minutes writing up a novel of a Radar, screenshots, crash logs and sample projects to duplicate a bug in 10 lines of code and you will still get no response for months and your found bug will ship to production.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

This is a small thing, but I’ve always wondered why they’ve done this…
Why is it so easy to get tvOS betas, and why can’t it be like that on all platforms?
at the bottom of the software update settings panel on tvOS, it’s literally just an option.
Get public beta releases.
Why does it require such a rigmarole of making sure you have the right profile download and making sure you’re logged into the right account on the right website to do it on iOS or macOS?
And while we’re on that subject, Apple has been working on Internet recovery for iOS since at least 13.4.
That was almost 3 years ago, so… Where is it?
macOS has had it since 2011, current apple silicon max have it, why don’t iPhones and iPads?

 

[randomando]

Note: It's not that they aren't looking at the reported feedback. It's that they aren't responding to the feedback (which makes it feel as if it goes unseen). Any feature requests or bugs in general go unanswered but that doesn't mean they aren't seen and sorted.

 

[Samuel Sosa]

I stopped Public Beta testing for Apple I mean working for free. there were so many bugs with old features and compatibility with apps was horrendous. I feel like many of these companies don't hire enough QA people to test their developers crap releases. I get it the code is more complex. Meaning you should have more time to bake the release.

 

[mdriftmeyer]

Sometimes I feel like when users report the bugs they just sit there for months until something big happens.

The overall goal should be: Listen to one feedback at a time and get the bugs sorted out. One by One!

That interaction is with direct Developer contracts who can reproduce specific cases.

Public betas create a set of models and tiers for bug severity targets.

 

[Macintosh Quadra 840av]

No beta program does. There'll always be those that want more interaction and feedback. Developers don't have the time to do that and still move the development along, especially when looking at a product as massive as one of the worlds most popular operating systems.

Google and Microsofts beta programs are even more abysmal and less responsive. Google often goes years before even acknowledging an issue with numerous reports.

 

[Realityck]

In an email exchange with MacRumors reader Kieran, Federighi responded to a complaint that Apple’s beta program doesn’t effectively listen to user feedback and suggestions, noting the challenge Apple faces when "literally millions of people participate in our betas, and many, many, many of them want to provide feedback to help influence Apple's products."

This has been a longstanding issue with feedback assistant during beta cycle, the status of your feedback almost never shows it was acted on unless you happen to present data of an issue that is important to staff looking for similar occurrences.

If someone reads your feedback it should show that. As it stands now you have to always close your feedback incident after the time it was useful.

 

[Macintosh Quadra 840av]

Sometimes I feel like when users report the bugs they just sit there for months until something big happens.

The overall goal should be: Listen to one feedback at a time and get the bugs sorted out. One by One!

That's not how reasonable development works at any large company. Just because a single user has an issue, doesn't mean it's something others experience. You won't waste your time on a small problem 1 person out of millions is experiencing. Instead, they use systems to manage such error reports and find patterns and issues being seen by many users.

You'd never invest your resources in the 1 guy that can't post on 1 website from his toilet, while thousands of other users are experiencing ongoing crashes of the OS itself.

Apple: "Sorry to delay the release of the next iPhone and iOS but this one kid in Milwaukee can't view his favorite anime site, and we need to take care of it before we even consider moving along."

 

[citysnaps]

Note: It's not that they aren't looking at the reported feedback. It's that they aren't responding to the feedback (which makes it feel as if it goes unseen). Any feature requests or bugs in general go unanswered but that doesn't mean they aren't seen and sorted.

Also... I suspect it has to do with the quality and professionalism of the feedback.

If submitted feedback and comments are similar to the angry/aggressive/childish comments seen here everyday, I imagine they're simply ignored.

 

[I7guy]

Apple listening to it's customers or devs...whoda thunk?

 

[brofkand]

The betas certainly aren’t improving the quality of Apple’s software. It’s really just a way for YouTuber “influencers” to give Apple free PR.

 

[technole]

It's like Windows Insider, they'll generally pay more attention to the inner rings of testing including internal employees weekly insider updates, and first tier like major OEMs and partners. Versus the outer rings of testing, unless something is discovered to be rather large that wasn't found in the inner rings.

 

[gank41]

I've been reporting bugs and crashes to Apple via their Feedback app for many years, including many years of "filing radars". I can tell you right now I've got roughly 30-35 open Feedback #'s filed that are ALL marked as 'Recent Similar Reports: None' & 'Resolution: Open', all a mix of mostly bugs and crash reports, but some general Feedback. It's an empty blackhole where words go to die and disappear.

 

[kaz911]

I would be happy if Apple just fixed the gigantic bugs users reported. But no...