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Apple wants to update its iPhones that are still in stores without opening the boxes. This should keep them in their pristine condition while preventing the customers from encountering issues discovered in the earlier versions of iOS 17.
The entrance of the iPhone 15 was not as flawless as expected, especially after it was revealed by Apple itself a bug could cause data transfer issues between a new iPhone 15 and old iPhones. Users who reported about the matter said that it could result in the screen being stuck in the Apple logo. This pushed Apple to release the iOS 17.0.2 update to all newly purchased iPhone 15 units, but not everyone was aware of this, resulting in the same old problem.
Then, earlier this month, another issue surfaced after some users claimed that the iPhone 15 Pro models were overheating. This started speculations that the A17 Pro chip, the titanium frames, and design compromises were the cause of the issue, but Apple blamed an iOS 17 bug and third-party apps for this. This was later resolved with iOS 17.0.3, which also introduced fixes for two actively exploited vulnerabilities and some enterprise fixes.
Needless to say, these issues are not helping the image of the iPhone 15 series, which is still in the process of gaining more orders in hopes of exceeding the sales of its predecessors. With this, Apple is reportedly planning to update the iPhones still in its stores without getting them out of the box.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his recent Power On newsletter, there will be a new system the Cupertino giant will introduce to its stores.
“Apple is planning a new system for its retail stores that will update the software on iPhones prior to sale,” Gurman wrote. “The company has developed a proprietary pad-like device that the store can place boxes of iPhones on top of. That system can then wirelessly turn on the iPhone, update its software and then power it back down — all without the phone’s packaging ever being opened.”
If this will indeed be implemented, this should be a relief to customers planning to upgrade to the iPhone 15 units. However, as Gurman notes, the company’s plan for the rollout would begin “before the end of the year.” As such, you might still have to perform the updates yourself while the system is still unavailable.
On a positive note, this should mean that Apple would be able to sell you units with the most current software updates in the future. It is unknown if this will also be implemented in Macs and other Apple devices, but it is not far from possible.
