Ever Trend Zone Remember when a new iOS version could introduce a major redesign? iOS 7, I’m looking at you. Despite annual whispers predicting another major iOS overhaul, I can confidently say those days are over. And the recent app fiasco shows why.
Sonos’ redesign debacle offers lessons
In case you haven’t been paying attention, Sonos has been really bad lately.
The company recently replaced its CEO after months of trying to fix its big mistake in 2024 by launching a major redesign of its app.
The new Sonos app debuted in April and led to a flood of customer complaints and bad reviews for the company that continued throughout the year.
This is a perfect case study to explain why the days of Apple making big changes to iOS are over.
If the new Sonos app had been launched in the company’s early days, I’m pretty confident it would have worked.
So even if the problem were the same, it probably wouldn’t have been such a huge flop if a small, dedicated user base had adapted or Sonos had shipped a fix.
The same is true for iOS.
The success of the iPhone made big changes especially risky
When the iPhone was still in its infancy, Apple was able to “avoid” a major redesign because its user base was much smaller and it was more technologically advanced.
These days, society relies heavily on iPhones. Hundreds of millions of users of varying technical abilities all rely on it.
If Apple were to make major changes to the way iOS looks or works, the backlash would likely be devastating.
Even if many people see the redesign as a positive change, Apple’s user base is so vast that there will almost certainly be loud opposition.
The solution isn’t to stagnate iOS, and Apple knows it.
Instead, Apple’s practice is to make breaking changes to the iPhone app by app.
For example, changes to the Photos app in iOS 18 caused a lot of controversy and prompted a fix in a subsequent software update. But since it was just one app, the impact was limited.
Will iOS be completely redesigned? That would be a big risk for Apple.
While the idea of a major iOS 7 style refresh sounds fun to me (and maybe you), it might seem like a nightmare to most iPhone users who don’t want much change. yeah.
The Sonos fiasco is a big wake-up call for Apple and other big tech companies with large, established user bases.
This also means you may only have to accept small, iterative iOS design updates.
Do you think Apple should completely redesign iOS? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments.
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(Tag to translate) Sonos
