Apple has quietly announced that one of iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite's most anticipated features won't launch on time.

The company updated its Continuity feature page on Friday to reflect a launch delay. The feature is now expected to launch sometime in October, about a month after iOS 8 becomes available for download. Continuity, which would allow you to seamlessly send and receive SMS and MMS text messages from an iPad or Mac, was scheduled to go live when iOS 8 rolled out over the air on 17 September.

According to the feature page, Apple has described Continuity as such: "Having a conversation with friends and family who don’t use an iPhone just got easier. That’s because you can now send and receive SMS and MMS text messages right from your iPad or Mac. So when a friend texts you from any kind of phone, you can respond using whichever device is most convenient. You can also start a conversation from your iPad or Mac by clicking a phone number in Safari, Contacts, or Calendar."

READ: Apple iOS 8: Top 7 features to get excited about

Keep in mind Apple's OS X Yosemite software is also expected to arrive this autumn, possibly in October. It's therefore reasonable to speculate that Apple wants people to wait for Continuity in order for them to fully take advantage of the feature's capabailities on both device and desktop. Developers of course have already had access to Continuity for months, thanks to the iOS 8 and Yosemite betas.

We've contacted Apple for a comment and will update if we learn more about the delay.