Apple appears to have at least one more iOS 14 update on the way, despite the impending launch of iOS 15, as a mention of “iOS 14.8” in the code of Xcode.
Xcode contains mentions of all of the released versions of iOS 14, as well as a mention of iOS 14.8, suggesting that the new update could be coming in the near future.
Apple-centric website MacRumors has also spotted iOS 14.8 in its analytics, which appears to confirm the new iOS 14 update.
The indicator of a new version of iOS 14 being on the way is somewhat unusual, as when the release on a new iOS version nears (iOS 15 is expected to see a release sometime around late September), Apple usually drops work on the current version of iOS to focus its efforts on the upcoming big release.
As pointed out by MacRumors, Apple has never released a .8 update for iOS. The last iOS 11 update was iOS 11.4, iOS 12 ended at iOS 12.5, and iOS 13 topped out at iOS 13.7.
However, Apple has plans to offer users a choice between iOS 14 and iOS 15, even after the launch of iOS 15.
iOS now offers a choice between two software update versions in the Settings app. You can update to the latest version of iOS 15 as soon as it’s released for the latest features and most complete set of security updates. Or continue on iOS 14 and still get important security updates until you’re ready to upgrade to the next major version.
This means Apple will indeed continue to offer iOS 14 updates, even after the iOS 15 release.