We will have to wait for Apple Intelligence

Apple Intelligence, the artificially intelligent features that Apple is preparing for its devices, is unlikely to be available with iOS 18, but more likely with iOS 18.1.

Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman cited unnamed sources when he wrote that iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 will be released on schedule, i.e. this September. He also wrote down even more important news, namely that the first Apple Intelligence features should not be ready before October - most likely with version 18.1.

Apple Intelligence includes new features such as intelligent notification management, summarization capabilities for voice and text messages, new writing tools, ChatGPT integration, an improved Siri assistant, and more.

Coming soon: iOS 18 and iPadOS 18

The iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 releases will arrive as planned for a wide range of older and new devices. iOS 18 compatibility extends all the way back to the 2018 iPhone XR and newer models.

iPad Pro models from 2018 are compatible with iPadOS 18. In addition, iPad Air and iPad mini models from 2019 and later and iPad models from 2020 and later are also compatible.

Delaying the launch of Apple Intelligence, which will not work on any device before the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, will give developers more time to incorporate Apple Intelligence features into their own apps. This move will also give Apple more time to fix any bugs in the technology.

Coming later: Apple Intelligence

Apple previously announced that Apple Intelligence will not be part of the initial releases of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. Apple Intelligence features are expected to roll out gradually in the last quarter of 2024, and the rollout may stretch into early 2025.

Developers will soon see new AI features in the beta versions of iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1. Due to the relatively small number of currently compatible devices, testing new features is expected to take longer than usual.

Apple has treated iOS 18 and related updates and Apple Intelligence as two intertwined but separate technologies since its debut at WWDC in June 2024. During the first presentation, iOS and Apple Intelligence features were highlighted in two completely separate parts of the keynote. The main reason is the high requirements for devices for the latter technology.

The delay would likely mean that initial shipments of the upcoming iPhone 16 models will have iOS 18, but will lack Apple Intelligence features.