Apple debuted its maiden suite of AI features under the Apple Intelligence banner at WWDC. Although these new capabilities are planned to arrive first via iOS 18 beta next month, a new finding suggests Apple could limit the availability of Apple Intelligence during the preview period.
Apple Intelligence availability
In the strings of code in iOS 18 discovered by Aaron Perris (via MacRumors), there is verbiage describing the state of Graymatter, which is the internal name for Apple Intelligence. According to the line, it will be available in a limited preview and requires users to join a waitlist before they can test it.
Also written was a highlighted caution that mentioned Graymatter users “may experience unusually delayed responses when not in a supported region.”
There were no details on why Apple could potentially restrict access to Apple Intelligence at launch for select users. However, there are a few logical reasons behind the move such as the iPhone manufacturer wanting to avoid bigger repercussions in terms of issues arising from the preview period.
It might also be possible not all AI features are fully built-in at launch. With this setup, it will give enough room for the company to optimize Apple Intelligence and the included features.
While the availability of Apple’s AI could be restricted to just iOS 18 beta, the definitive launch of the update this fall might see it made available to all supported devices.
Apple Intelligence features and compatibility
As for Apple Intelligence features, it includes a new Writing Tools feature that lets you compose texts in the tone you want, image generation using sketches, avatar and emoji generation, and categorization of emails, among others.
More importantly, Apple Intelligence will power Siri and make the voice assistant a lot smarter with more natural responses and a wider scope of tasks. You can read much of what’s new about Apple Intelligence here which was prepared by our colleague Carsten Drees.
Apple Intelligence is compatible with the iPhone 15 Pro (review), iPhone 15 Pro Max (review), and iPad tablets equipped with M1 chip or newer. It is also available in Macs and MacBooks powered by Apple’s custom M chip.
Do you intend to test Apple Intelligence once it is available? Which among its AI features do you think is the most useful? Let’s hear your thoughts.
