Apple’s new AI features won’t be ready for the initial launch of iPhone and iPad software updates

The company is planning to begin rolling out Apple Intelligence to customers as part of software updates coming by October, according to people with knowledge of the matter. That means the AI features will arrive a few weeks after the initial iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 releases planned for September, said the people, who declined to be identified discussing unannounced release details. 

Still, the iPhone maker is planning to make Apple Intelligence available to software developers for the first time for early testing as soon as this week via iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 betas, they added. The strategy is atypical as the company doesn’t usually release previews of follow-up updates until around the time the initial version of the new software generation is released publicly.

The stakes are higher than usual. In order to ensure a smooth consumer release of its big bet on AI, Apple needs support from developers to help iron out issues and test features on a wider scale. Concerns over the stability of Apple Intelligence features, in part, led the company to split the features from the initial launch of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18.

Apple announced the new features and operating systems in June at its Worldwide Developers Conference, saying Apple Intelligence would debut as part of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. The new timing means the AI capabilities won’t be widely launched until a subsequent update to the new operating system. An Apple spokesperson declined to comment.

The tech giant launched a fourth beta of iOS 18.0 to developers last week and is aiming to complete development by the end of July. When Apple introduces new iPhones each September, the company includes the accompanying new software. That necessitates finishing the operating system several weeks earlier so there is time to install the software on the devices before shipping them out of the factory. 

The release plan for Apple Intelligence presents the possibility that the first iPhone 16 models shipped to consumers this year will lack the new AI features and require a software update weeks later. Apple Intelligence includes a range of features, including prioritization of key notifications, web page and voice note summaries, tools to improve writing, a revamp to Siri and integration of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. 

Even when Apple Intelligence launches with iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1, it will be missing some features. That includes some of the most significant changes to Siri, such as the ability to use on-device data to help field queries and for the system to use what is on a person’s screen to provide context for answers. 

The company is planning to roll out its full set of Apple Intelligence features via multiple updates to iOS 18 across the end of 2024 and through the first half of 2025, Bloomberg News has reported. Beyond the iPhone and iPad, Apple Intelligence will come to its Mac computers with in-house Apple chips as part of macOS Sequoia. It’s also in development for the Vision Pro, but a release for that device isn’t planned until later.

The technology giant is betting on Apple Intelligence to help compete in the generative AI space that has taken the world by storm and upended both businesses and consumer devices over the past year. By limiting support to the iPhone 15 Pro from last year and the upcoming iPhone 16 line, Apple also believes the new features could help sell new iPhones this year. 

The iPhone 16 line will have little in the way of design changes so software-related enhancements — in addition to a new button for controlling the camera and a faster chip — will do the heavy lifting to sell the new models.