Apple Intelligence won't launch on iPhone 16 – but you can get it next week

While the best iPhones have always been popular products, they look set to get a whole lot more popular in the next few months. That's because the brand's long-awaited AI efforts are set to join the fray around the launch of the next model.

Well, that certainly was the assumption. The latest report from notable Apple insider, Mark Gurman, suggests that the features may actually be delayed.

The piece suggests that the Apple Intelligence suite won't be launched alongside the iPhone 16 as first anticipated. Instead, the brand will launch it around October, in line with when we'd typically see  the first update – in this case, iOS 18.1.

For those of us looking to get hands on with the new features sooner than that, there is some good news. Gurman also notes that the beta version of this software is expected soon – possibly as soon as this week.

That's slightly unusual. The company usually wouldn't push an update of that nature until around the launch of the device.

Still, it's not hard to fathom why they're doing it. The update is set to be one of the most significant in Apple history, not just bringing new features, but also a whole new way of operating.

Apple will be keen for various apps to use those features as soon as possible. For developers to properly integrate that, they're going to need time. 

That should also mean that keen users can get their hands on the updates, via the Apple Beta Software Program. That allows anyone registered to preview and test the new features ahead of launch.

We will just caveat – as we always do – that these beta software programs are experimental. Installing them on a main device is rarely a good idea, as they can often contain bugs and issues which are troublesome.

Still, if you can't wait until October, this could be a great opportunity to get your hands on some AI-based goodness.