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Your iPhone 16 might not pack Apple Intelligence at launch
- The iPhone 16 series may launch without Apple Intelligence features, as the company has reportedly pushed them to iOS 18.1.
- Apple may start beta testing iOS 18.1 and its AI additions as soon as this week, with the public release to follow in October.
- Some Apple Intelligence features won’t be included in iOS 18.1, and users may have to wait until mid-2025 for the full suite.
Apple Intelligence is arguably the most notable addition in iOS 18, baking advanced AI features into the latest iPhone models. While Apple’s artificial smarts were initially expected to debut with iOS 18.0 in September, it now appears that the company may have delayed them. Those interested in Apple Intelligence will reportedly have to wait until iOS 18.1 launches in October.
According to a Bloomberg report, Apple won’t include its AI additions in iOS 18.0. Instead, the firm will reportedly reserve them for iOS 18.1, which it will start testing with developers as soon as this week. Once the beta testing cycle concludes, the general public can expect iOS 18.1 to debut with Apple Intelligence sometime in October.
Since the iPhone 16 series will likely run iOS 18.0 when it launches in September, customers won’t be able to use the announced AI goods on day one. This may disappoint users, as Apple Intelligence is expected to be one of its main selling points.
Beyond the delayed release, Apple is apparently preparing for potential AI-related security events in advance. Twitter user @aaronp613 found the following alert in the iOS beta code:
Apple Intelligence features were part of a recent security event. Source content such as descriptions and photos used with these features may have been impacted. You can continue using Apple Intelligence features as you normally would. Your iCloud account and data were not impacted.
If you prefer not to wait until October to test Apple Intelligence, you can download the iOS 18.1 beta once it becomes available. It’s worth noting, however, that some AI features, like on-screen content awareness, may not become available until mid-2025. Furthermore, beta OS builds tend to be buggy and unpredictable, so we advise you not to install the pre-release software on your primary device.