We know little or nothing about the internal systems Apple uses to test the iPhones it makes. Thanks to an iPhone 12 Pro leaked by the developer Giulio Zompettiwe can have a slightly clearer view of this curious software that is internally called SwitchBoard.
An operating system without a user interface
The switchboard is a non-UI version of iOS 14. As we can see in the image, the interface is limited to showing the battery level in the upper right part and then offering several apps with which to test the various parts of the system.
names, as well as app icons are rather nondescript and although we recognize Console At the top right, we know little about Alto, beyond the iCloud icon, Astro or Ness.
We have already seen prototypes with internal operating systems in the past, but the truth is that it was a long time ago and it is clear that the test operating system, as well as the production operating system, have evolved. with today’s pictures we have a renewed vision of these curious systems.
It is clear that for each operating system that we see finished, Apple has developed hundreds of them. From internal test builds to betas that we never got to test, the dedication, just on the software side, to releasing a finished product is impressive.
Image | Thai Nguyen