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Apple is finally starting to distribute its much-anticipated iOS 18 update to iPhone users worldwide including its Indian customers.
It was first unveiled this year during the edition of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2024. The new version of iOS comes with several high-profile updates, including customization options, a new Control Centre as well as redesigned apps.
However, while the update is available in over 190 regions, its most-referenced feature, Apple Intelligence, is notably missing from this first release.
Apple said that iOS 18 is available for download and can be installed on an iPhone by doing the following steps:
1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap General and then Software Update.
3. The iPhone will begin verifying if there is an update, which if it includes iOS 18, can be downloaded and installed by tapping on Download & Install.
4. The user must then accept the terms and conditions before proceeding with the download and installation process.
Once installed, iOS 18 brings system-wide improvements, including more control on home and lock screen personalization along with fresh widgets and a more flexible Control Center.
So, all its iPhones which had iOS 18 developer and public beta updates qualified for this global rollout. That includes the latest ones like the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the older one iPhone XR. The company has confirmed that the much-awaited iPhone 16 series, releasing on September 20 will also feature iOS 18 pre-installed with it. Here is the detailed list of available devices.
iPhone 16 series
iPhone 15 series
iPhone 14 series
iPhone SE (2022)
iPhone 13 series
iPhone 12 series
iPhone 11 series
iPhone XS Max
iPhone XS
iPhone XR
iPhone SE (2020)
iOS 18 boasts new exciting features, some of which include a more intelligent Siri using generative AI to draft emails and provide in-depth answers. The enhanced update introduces users to home screen customizations, and the usage of AI-driven Image Playground for creative special effects, and will soon be featured in several languages, from French to Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish. Read more
Apple Intelligence, the AI suite that Apple had been pushing hard during WWDC 2024, misses out on iOS 18 despite all its promises. Apple had marketed Apple Intelligence as an integral component of iOS 18, which with AI tools would give something like object removal, text generation, or summarization on a web page for an iPhone user. These features are going to miss out in the initial update of iOS 18.
Instead, Apple Intelligence will be part of iOS 18.1. The software is scheduled to ship, starting next month in beta, to users in the US and shortly thereafter around the world.
iPhone users are lamenting the delay, mainly because they are itching to work their way through new AI features. Most who are looking forward to features for example have their sights set on the Image Playground from Apple, which leverages generative AI to edit and create images. That's only next year, though.
Technical hurdles emerge as the reasons attributed by Apple for the delayed launch of the Apple Intelligence. The features will not support some regions since they have been blocked by regional regulations and restrictions.
Apple has signaled that it is going to deliver iOS 18.1 in mid-October with the anticipated Apple intelligence accompanying it soon.
However, iPhone users can take advantage of all the other updates within iOS 18, which are already available.
For now, the world waits for Apple Intelligence to arrive as iPhone users are downloading iOS 18 today.
