It seems that Apple has decided to postpone the release of its highly anticipated Apple Intelligence until version 18.1 of iOS, leaving behind the expectations of seeing these innovations in the initial release of iOS 18 in September. The possibility, which has been reported by Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, suggests that the company prefers to ensure that the new features are completely polished and free of errors before making them public.
Apple is already working on iOS 18.1, and we will soon be able to test it
The iOS 18.1 update is scheduled to be officially released in October, a few weeks after the debut of the new iPhone 16 models. This delay will allow Apple to focus on the stability and bug fixes of the initial version of iOS 18.0, which is scheduled to be ready by the end of July.
The good news is that iOS 18.0 is already finished, and we expect the first beta version of iOS 18.1 this week. Among the first features expected to arrive with the first beta for developers, Image Playground and Genmoji are included. Although we will have to wait much longer for other more advanced functions, such as a new integration of Siri and ChatGPT, which are not expected until next spring, in just a few days we should have Apple Intelligence in our hands.
The truth is that, although we will indeed have to wait a little longer for Apple Intelligence to reach the general public, the strategy has many advantages. On the one hand, there is the great stability and performance of iOS 18, which we are already seeing in the current betas, and which is undoubtedly very welcome. On the other hand, considering that initially, Apple Intelligence will only be launched in English from the United States, the wait will not be so noticeable. In line with the above, the exclusive dedication to iOS 18.1 from this week ensures a very high-quality release.
Although Apple Intelligence will not arrive in Europe this year due to the DMA, developers, and companies from the rest of the world will be able to start preparing their apps for the official arrival of Apple’s AI. With this, when iOS 18.1 is released this fall, we will not only find Apple Intelligence on our devices, but also many apps ready to take full advantage of these technologies.
It remains completely uncertain how this decision will affect macOS Sequoia, as Gurman has not provided details on whether Apple Intelligence features will also be included in the macOS Sequoia betas. Considering that macOS updates usually take a few more weeks to reach the public, we can expect a slightly longer wait compared to the schedule we just mentioned.
However, Gurman discusses quite interesting changes. If confirmed, the decision to postpone the Apple Intelligence features is an indicator that Apple is dedicating the necessary resources to offer a much more refined user experience. Meanwhile, developers and enthusiastic users will be able to anticipate and test these innovations in the upcoming betas.
