A source claiming to have knowledge of Apple’s iPhone 8 development said there’s a “sense of panic in the air” among engineers and designers over software problems, Fast Company reports. In addition to the wireless charging software problems reported earlier this week, Apple is reportedly having trouble with the new 3D sensors rumored to be used in a new facial recognition process for unlocking the device. With other rumors claiming that Apple is also having problems with the iPhone 8’s under-the-glass fingerprint scanner, facial recognition has been seen as a possible alternative for authentication, leaving the company in an even more precarious position if that software is not functional at launch.
The source said the wireless charging and 3D sensor software issues could result in previously predicted production delays, or even lead Apple to ship the iPhone 8 first and enable those features with a future software update. Apple has released hardware with features that were enabled by later software update, but the most recent example — Portrait mode for the iPhone 7 Plus’ dual camera — was far from a core feature since the dual camera itself functioned fine at launch.