2024-07-29 19:51:30
Apple launches the first beta of iOS 18.1 for developers and includes its long-awaited native artificial intelligence model
iPadOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1 have also been released with identical features
Almost two months after its presentation, Apple Intelligence is now official. It is the new set of artificial intelligence models from the Californian company, which among other things entails having a new and powerful Siri to meet expectations.
It had been announced that it would arrive with iOS 18, although no dates were confirmed. It was already known that it was not in the first public and developer betas. The mainstream assumption was that it could be delayed until 2025, but it has finally arrived with the unusual iOS 18.1 beta 1. We say unusual because, although it had already leaked, it is not normal for Apple to release a beta of a subsequent version while the previous one is not yet stable.
From Applesfera, we strongly recommend not installing the iOS 18.1 beta unless you are a certified developer. The public beta will be available during this month of July. |
iOS 18 hasn’t arrived yet, but the iOS 18.1 beta is already here
It is expected that iOS 18 will officially arrive in September for anyone with an iPhone XS or a later model. All of these users will enjoy many new features, although not all of them. That first version will not bring Apple Intelligence even to the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, which will be the only ones compatible with this AI (along with future iPhone 16 models).
The fact is that version iOS 18.0 has been in beta since June for developers and in public beta since July. It will remain so until September, but Apple has already released iOS 18.1 for the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. The goal is nothing less than to bring the first sample of Apple Intelligence. It is somewhat strange, as they could have waited for iOS 18.0 to be launched or even integrated it directly into 18.0.
However, Apple intends to allow more time to receive feedback on Apple Intelligence. This is key to any beta, to find flaws and fix them. Hence, at least for now, this will be a public beta specifically aimed at developers.
When and how Apple Intelligence will ultimately arrive
Stably, it is expected that iOS 18.1 could arrive by mid-October, which is usually the period when Apple releases its first of the intermediate updates for its systems. It’s possible that earlier there will be updates like iOS 18.0.1 or iOS 18.0.2, but those would only be to fix specific bugs and bring security patches.
Once iOS 18.1 arrives, this much-anticipated Apple Intelligence will also arrive. However, the plans regarding availability do not change. It will continue to be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max and, by that point, also to the entire iPhone 16 series (barring any major surprises, all of them will be compatible).
Similarly, it is expected to be only available in US English. It is unknown if, as with other features exclusive to a territory, having a US Apple ID will be sufficient to test it. In any case, we know that it will not be available in Spanish until 2025. Furthermore, there are still doubts about whether it will arrive in Europe, although significant steps have recently been taken in that direction.
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