Apple Intelligence AI features will wait for iOS 18.1

 

The AI upgrades Apple announced during WWDC, like a ‘smarter Siri’ and ChatGPT integrations, will miss the initial launch of iOS 18 and new iPhone 16 devices.

Apple’s new AI features for the iPhone may not arrive with the initial rollout of iOS 18 and the expected launch of the iPhone 16 in September, according to a report from Bloomberg. Instead, the company reportedly plans on launching Apple Intelligence with iOS 18.1 in October as it works to get the rollout right.

Apple took the wraps off its first AI features during its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, showing off a new and improved Siri, AI-powered image generation, and an integration with ChatGPT. These features may not be available with a new iPhone 16 purchased at launch, but Apple could roll out the update later to new devices in store with its in-the-box updating machine called Presto.

While Apple doesn’t usually launch the betas for its follow-up software updates ahead of the public release of the initial version, Bloomberg reports that some of these AI features will still arrive with the launch of the iOS 18.1 and iPad 18.1 developer betas as soon as this week.

The early rollout could allow developers to test Apple’s AI features and spot bugs before they arrive for everyone and stretch across other platforms like the Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV.