Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

It looks like iOS 18’s most exciting feature has been delayed

By
Screenshots of Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.
Apple

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the most anticipated new feature of iOS 18 won’t appear when originally planned. Instead, Apple Intelligence is expected to see a delayed launch.

Apple Intelligence, announced at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, was supposed to be the centerpiece of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15 Sequoia. Initially, Apple was expected to allow iPhone developers to begin testing at least some of the components of this all-encompassing AI feature in a future iOS 18 beta this summer. Now, however, Apple is pushing this off to iOS 18.1. As a result, the public may not see the first parts of Apple Intelligence until October or later.

Recommended Videos

This news means the public will see the first version of iOS 18 released in September alongside the new iPhone 16 handsets. Weeks later, iOS 18.1 will be released, including at least some Apple Intelligence features announced at WWDC.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Gurman stated that Apple’s progress on Intelligence tools is slightly slower than anticipated. However, developers will soon get their first look at Apple Intelligence, as the first beta versions of iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 will be released sometime next week.

Examples of how iOS 18's home screen can be customized.
Apple

This is an odd release schedule, meaning there will be two beta versions of iOS 18.x in the wild — the latest beta version of iOS 18.0, and the first beta version of iOS 18.1.

The new iPhone 16 handsets, which are expected to include the regular iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max, will almost certainly launch with iOS 18, not iOS 18.1.

Apple Intelligence will likely run on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 series when available. It contains AI tools for writing, focus, communication, and imagery. It also includes a more intelligent Siri, Apple’s voice assistant. It should be noted that parts of Apple Intelligence were never expected to launch with the first version of iOS 18.0, and some weren’t expected to be revealed until the beginning of 2025.

Software delays are not uncommon for companies like Apple. However, in this instance, it will be interesting to see how the delay of Apple Intelligence will impact early sales of the iPhone 16. Previously, we mentioned that Apple has high hopes for the new iPhone 16 series, expecting it to boost slowing iPhone sales from earlier in the year.

Topics
Bryan M. Wolfe
Bryan M. Wolfe
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.
I tried a new Android phone that puts some of the best smartphone cameras to shame
The rear camera setup on the Oppo Find X8 Pro.

It’s been a few years since I was surprised by a smartphone camera’s zoom performance. With Samsung offering 100x zoom on its Galaxy S Ultra lineup, little has shocked me with smartphone cameras — until now.

The Oppo Find X8 series is the successor to the Find X7 series from last year, and alongside several other improvements, there’s also been a significant upgrade in one area: the 30x zoom. Oppo and OnePlus have great cameras at shorter zoom distances, and at a recent briefing, I discovered that we can now add the 30x zoom to the list.

Read more
I used a Wear OS smartwatch for the first time, and I love it
Someone wearing an Apple Watch Ultra and Pixel Watch 3 on different wrists.

Ever since the original Apple Watch, smartwatches as a whole have really taken off. Though Apple largely dominates the market, there are still plenty of non-Apple smartwatches to choose from.

I’ve been solely an Apple Watch user for the past decade, but I’ve been trying out a Google Pixel Watch 3 for the past couple of weeks. And, honestly, I kind of love it.
A round smartwatch is so much sleeker

Read more
5 phones you should buy instead of the iPhone 16 Pro
Someone holding the iPhone 16 Pro.

If you’re in the market for a new phone, whether it’s for yourself or a loved one, you may be considering the iPhone 16 Pro from Apple. After all, it just came out, and it’s packed with the latest and greatest from the fruit company. That means an A18 Pro chip for fast performance, an upgraded 5x telephoto camera, the new Camera Control button, Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18, and more.

But what if we told you there are some better options out there? And some offer even better features or are a better value? Here are five alternatives to consider before you buy the iPhone 16 Pro.
iPhone 16

Read more