Apple Again Rumored to Release iOS 7.1 in March

iOS7-smallA new report from 9to5Mac claims iOS 7.1 will indeed be released to all iOS users in March, representing the first major revision since iOS 7 was launched publicly in September of last year.

Sources note the next version of iOS 7 will continue with the visual improvements, minor tweaks and bug fixes reported in earlier beta versions seeded to developers.

While recent reports are pegging a launch sooner than later, reliable sources say that Apple is currently planning to ship iOS 7.1, the first significant update to iOS 7, in March. The iOS 7.1 update is said to not have any “secret features,” and it will basically be what we have been told to expect by the past five betas: some user-interface tweaks in the Phone app, an improved Calendar app, speed improvements, and numerous bug-fixes.

BGR originally cited a March release date for iOS 7.1 back in late December, but a follow-up report earlier this week seemed to hedge on that claim somewhat by noting that the update was expected in the "coming weeks." Slowing increments of build numbers from the developer beta versions suggest the software is nearing a public launch, but whether that date lands in late February or the early March is not clear.

Previous iOS 7.1 betas have included various improvements such as a new "Button Shapes" option in Accessibility, keyboard tweaks that indicate shift and caps locks, a new event list view within the Calendar app and refined icons for the Phone, FaceTime, and Messages app. The unreleased iOS in the Car feature has also been refined in the iOS 7.1 beta testing period, but it is unclear when the functionality will be made available to the public.

Details on features in past beta releases can be found in our previous beta posts: Beta 1, Beta 2, Beta 3, Beta 4 and Beta 5.

Tag: 9to5Mac
Related Forum: iOS 7

Popular Stories

Apple Wallet ID Illinois

Apple Plans to Expand iPhone Driver's Licenses to These 7 U.S. States

Wednesday December 24, 2025 8:40 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
maxresdefault

Where's the New Apple TV?

Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Next Year With These 12 New Features

Tuesday December 23, 2025 8:36 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another nine months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models. The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID Front camera in...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Monday December 22, 2025 8:47 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple released iOS 26.2, following more than a month of beta testing. It is a big update, with many new features and changes for iPhones. iOS 26.2 adds a Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. Below, we have highlighted a total of eight new features. Liquid Glass Slider on Lock Screen A new slider in the Lock...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 Brings AirPods-Like Pairing to Third-Party Devices in EU Under DMA

Monday December 22, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
The European Commission today praised the interoperability changes that Apple is introducing in iOS 26.3, once again crediting the Digital Markets Act (DMA) with bringing "new opportunities" to European users and developers. The Digital Markets Act requires Apple to provide third-party accessories with the same capabilities and access to device features that Apple's own products get. In iOS...
iPhone Fold Vertical Feature

Why Apple's Foldable iPhone May Be Smaller Than Expected

Tuesday December 23, 2025 5:21 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone, rumored for release next year, may turn out to be smaller than most people imagine, if a recent report is anything to go by. According to The Information, the outer display on the book-style device will measure just 5.3 inches – that's smaller than the 5.4-inch screen on the ‌iPhone‌ mini, a line Apple discontinued in 2022 due to poor sales. The report has led ...
iPhone Chips

Apple Clings to Samsung as RAM Prices Soar

Monday December 22, 2025 6:17 am PST by
Apple is significantly increasing its reliance on Samsung for iPhone memory as component prices surge, according to The Korea Economic Daily. Apple is said to be expanding the share of iPhone memory it sources from Samsung due to rapidly rising memory prices. The shift is expected to result in Samsung supplying roughly 60% to 70% of the low-power DRAM used in the iPhone 17, compared with a...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Features Leaked in New Report, Including Under-Screen Face ID

Tuesday December 16, 2025 8:44 am PST by
Next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be equipped with under-screen Face ID, and the front camera will be moved to the top-left corner of the screen, according to a new report from The Information's Wayne Ma and Qianer Liu. As a result of these changes, the report said the iPhone 18 Pro models will not have a pill-shaped Dynamic Island cutout at the top of the screen....
chatgpt year end

ChatGPT Now Has a 2025 Year-End Summary Feature Like Spotify Wrapped

Monday December 22, 2025 4:12 pm PST by
OpenAI added a year-end summary feature to ChatGPT, allowing users to get a personalized overview of their 2025 ChatGPT usage. The summary is similar to year-end wrap-ups from companies like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and other services. ChatGPT offers up an overview of themes discussed and chat stats, such as busiest chatting day, number of overall chats, messages sent, and more....

Top Rated Comments

AustinIllini Avatar
155 months ago
iOS 7.0.3

----------

I love how even though nobody has a good track record of predicting minor iOS release dates, and all the BGR predictions that MacRumors loves have proven wrong so far (especially their Beta 3 predictions), MacRumors continues to publish these meaningless made-up stories. Shows how desperate people can get for clicks these days.

7.1 will be released when it is ready (based on beta 5, that won't be for at least a few more weeks).

It's "Macrumors" not "MacFacts"
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BeyondtheTech Avatar
155 months ago
Ugh, so it's at least four more weeks of Springboard resets, black screen issues, Safari crashes, and phantom emails. Yay.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
stooovie Avatar
155 months ago
just throwing it out there but is this rapid one year release cycle really the best one?

it seems it takes half a year after the release to get over some of the major issues taken care of and then of course the day after the next os is released you might as well have a device from another company if you didnt upgrade.

to me it feels like they are chasing their tail.

its like you pay pretty high price for a device and get to be a beta tester for the 2-3 os-es it supports
yes, exactly my feelings. And the old adage "no one forces you to update" is false - Apple actively forces you with software updates requiring the latest OS. FCPX 10.1 and iWork apps require Mavericks - if you collaborate with other people on latest versions, you HAVE to update.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
numlock Avatar
155 months ago
just throwing it out there but is this rapid one year release cycle really the best one?

it seems it takes half a year after the release to get some of the major issues taken care of and then of course the day after the next os is released you might as well have a device from another company if you didnt upgrade.

to me it feels like they are chasing their tail.

its like you pay pretty high price for a device and get to be a beta tester for the 2-3 os-es it supports
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nozuka Avatar
155 months ago
did they improve the music app? that's really the only thing i liked better in ios6

ios 7 version sucks if you got alot of albums from the same artist or to just repeat one album from an artist instead of all of them or randomly.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WaxedJacket Avatar
155 months ago
I love how even though nobody has a good track record of predicting minor iOS release dates, and all the BGR predictions that MacRumors loves have proven wrong so far (especially their Beta 3 predictions), MacRumors continues to publish these meaningless made-up stories. Shows how desperate people can get for clicks these days.

7.1 will be released when it is ready (based on beta 5, that won't be for at least a few more weeks).

And here you are clicking...
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)