Security researchers, hackers, and bloggers have had access to an early version of iOS 14 since “at least February,” according to Vice. There have already been many iOS 14 leaks over the past few months, and it seems possible the information came from this early version of the operating system.
It’s common for small tidbits about Apple software updates to leak in the months and weeks before Apple officially unveils them. But it’s quite unusual for an entire pre-release build of iOS to hit the web months before its announcement — and this may be the first time it has ever happened this far in advance, according to a source referenced in Vice’s report.
Current leaked features for iOS 14 include a new fitness app, a PencilKit API for the company’s stylus, updates to iMessage, a new home screen view, the ability to test third-party apps by scanning a QR code, an overhaul to iCloud Keychain, and more. However, if these leaked features were based on this leaked iOS 14 build from December, there’s always the chance that Apple could delay or scrap any of them before the official unveiling of the new OS.
In previous years, Apple has shared the first developer beta of the next version of iOS at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, and it seems likely that will be the case again at this year’s WWDC, which begins on June 22nd as an online-only event. “Now in its 31st year, WWDC20 will be an opportunity for millions of creative and innovative developers around the world to get early access to the future of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS,” Apple said in a recent press release. Apple typically releases the next version of iOS to the public in the fall alongside new iPhone models.
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