UPDATE: Apple has finally made iOS 11.4 available to the general public, which is ready to download and install right now.
Previously: All eyes are on iOS 12 as we come closer and closer to Apple’s monumental Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), but when exactly can we expect the iOS 11.4 final version release date?
It’s tempting to put all our eggs in one basket and anticipate a major suite of features to download with the launch of iOS 12, but we’re actually still a good distance away from the release of the new generation of operating systems. Until we have our hands on iOS 12, we’ll be able to enjoy some further refinements to iOS 11 – many of which will be rounded out with the iOS 11.4 final version.
We should be able to download the iOS 11.4 final version sooner rather than later – especially considering that Apple has been running testing on the operating system both internally and with registered developers and testers for quite some time at this point. Testers already have their hands on a pretty stable build, and we’re actually anticipating that we will see the download made available within the next day or two.
The testing roadmap leading up to the iOS 11.4 final version thus far has consisted of six pre-release beta seeds, and there has been a large amount of feedback given to Apple as they work closer towards a stable release that will round out a pretty eventful series of updates.
Speaking of stable releases, let’s talk about what’s coming with the iOS 11.4 final version in terms of features.
Perhaps most notable of the features that will be available upon the 11.4 release date are AirPlay 2 and Messages on iCloud functionality which were unfortunately nixed right before the launch of iOS 11.3.
Beginning with the past few updates, Apple has started to implement a new philosophy when it comes to software development. For quite some time, the company had a reputation for high-quality software that was quite secure, but after a series of critical security patches that threw their releases off schedule, Apple had to go back to the drawing board and re-examine how they’d like to approach the implementation of new features.
Apple is taking things a little slower – giving developers ample time to iron out any bugs before we hit a full launch. With the pulling of AirPlay 2 and Messages on iCloud right before the release of 11.3, many were disappointed by an update that was less impressive than they were hoping for. iOS 11.3 was pretty smooth in terms of implementation, however, and that recent track record combined with the stringent testing over six pre-release seeds should ensure we get a pretty polished iOS 11.4 final version.
To sum it up, expect iOS 11.4 in the next few days which should implement AirPlay 2 and Messages on iCloud as well as a number of stability and bug fixes that will tide us over until the release of iOS 12.
