Apple’s next artificial intelligence features arrived later than expected and weren’t included in the initial release of the iPhone and iPad software overhaul, but it gave the company time to fix bugs.
The company plans to start rolling out Apple Intelligence to customers as part of a scheduled software update by October, according to people familiar with the matter, meaning the AI features would arrive a few weeks after the initial release of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 in September, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing unannounced release details.
Still, the company added that it plans to make Apple Intelligence available to software developers for early testing for the first time as soon as this week through beta versions of iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 — an unusual strategy, as the company typically doesn’t release previews of subsequent updates until around the time the first version of a new generation of software is available to the public.
The stakes are higher than usual. To ensure a smooth release of its big bet on AI to consumers, Apple needs support from developers to iron out any issues and test the features more widely. Concerns about the stability of Apple Intelligence features have led the company to split the features out of the initial release of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18.
Apple announced the new features and operating system at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, and said Apple Intelligence would debut as part of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. The new timing means the AI features won’t be released broadly until a subsequent update to the new operating system. An Apple spokesperson declined to comment.
Apple released the fourth beta of iOS 18.0 to developers last week, and aims to have it completed by the end of July. When Apple releases new iPhones every September, it also bundles new software with them, so the OS needs to be completed a few weeks early to allow time to install the software on devices before they leave the factory.
According to Apple Intelligence’s release plan, the first iPhone 16 models shipping to consumers this year will not include the new AI features and may require a software update in the coming weeks. Apple Intelligence includes a range of features, including prioritization of important notifications, summarization of web pages and voice notes, tools to improve writing, Siri improvements, and integration of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Even with Apple Intelligence’s release in iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1, it’s still missing some features, including some of Siri’s most significant changes, such as the ability to use on-device data to respond to inquiries and for the system to use what’s displayed on the user’s screen to provide context for answers.
Bloomberg News reports that the company plans to roll out the full capabilities of Apple Intelligence through multiple iOS 18 updates in late 2024 and early 2025. In addition to iPhones and iPads, Apple Intelligence will also be available on Mac computers powered by Apple’s own chips as part of macOS Sequoia. It is also in development for the Vision Pro, but will be released for that device at a later date.
The tech giant is betting on Apple Intelligence to help it compete in the field of generative AI, which has taken the world by storm over the past year and shaken up both enterprise and consumer devices. By limiting support to last year’s iPhone 15 Pro and the upcoming iPhone 16 series, Apple also believes the new features will boost sales of this year’s new iPhones.
As the iPhone 16 series will see few design changes, new buttons for controlling the camera, a faster chip, as well as software-related enhancements will likely be a major contributor to sales of the new models.
