iOS 18 arrives later today, but there will be a glaring omission (cough* Apple Intelligence cough*) when you install the next generation of iPhone software on your device.
The new software update brings color customization to app icons, a new Photos app redesign, and a better calculator app, just to name a few of the new features. However, the biggest addition will be Apple Intelligence, which is expected to launch in October in US English as part of iOS 18.1.
While you’ll be able to install iOS 18 later today on all compatible devices including last year’s best iPhone, the iPhone 15 Pro, you won’t see the true power of the new operating system until later this year when Apple Intelligence features become available.
One of those upcoming features is the major overhaul to Siri, with the much-maligned voice assistant set to be upgraded with on-screen awareness, personal context, and ChatGPT integration in the coming months. Frustratingly, though, it looks like you won't get access to the full version of this new-and-improved Siri until next year.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports, in his PowerOn newsletter, that "if you want the new Siri digital assistant to actually be useful, you’ll have to wait until a software update around next March." Yes, you read that right: March.
Apple Intelligence's March glow up
That’s a long wait for owners of the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, aka the "first iPhones built from the ground up for Apple Intelligence," as Tim Cook so purposefully hammered home at Apple’s ‘Glowtime’ event last week.
iOS 18 without Apple Intelligence is a far less appealing software update than you’d be led to believe. Yeah, color-matching your app icons to your wallpaper is cool, and yeah, Control Center’s redesign is nice, but it’s not what everyone is excited about.
Just take a look at Apple’s iOS 18 Preview and you’ll quickly realize Apple Intelligence is the major selling point heralded as the standout feature. But it’s not even ready yet, and you’ll need to wait even longer than the upcoming 2024 launch window to get your hands on the most important of Apple’s AI tools.
