Apple’s big iPhone 16 launch weekend wasn’t quite all it could be, because of one major missing feature: Apple Intelligence. While new features such as Camera Control and personalized Photographic Styles gave users plenty to play with, the main attraction was MIA and will be for a little while. But perhaps not as long as we thought.
In his latest Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman reports that Apple is “already racing” to deliver iOS 18.1 and 18.2 before the end of 2024, with some major Apple Intelligence features, including the new Siri interface, Writing Tools, Genmoji, ChatGPT integration, and the Image Playground app. That’s on track with Apple’s previous roadmap for its AI suite of features.
However, Gurman also reports that Apple is working to complete the development of iOS 18.3 by the end of the year for a January release, an aggressive timeline that would see most of Apple Intelligence’s major features arrive within four months. That release may also include some of the new Siri features, which were originally slated for iOS 18.4. Gurman says that release is due to arrive in March.
Siri’s “new era” is the centerpiece of Apple Intelligence, but aside from the new design “with an elegant, glowing light that wraps around the edge of your screen,” many of the smart assistant’s upgraded capabilities won’t arrive until next year. Apple has been heavily promoting Apple Intelligence as one of the main reasons to buy an iPhone 16, so it’s likely that it wants to push out these features sooner than later. iPhone 16 users can already install the iOS 18.1 beta on their phones to test the first round of features, which will likely arrive in mid-October.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor, Macworld
Michael Simon has been covering Apple for more than 20 years. He started covering rumors with Spymac when the iPod was the iWalk, and has owned nearly every iPhone Apple has ever made. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, son, and far too many gadgets.