The Apple Intelligence launch is a mess – don’t buy the iPhone 16 or install iOS 18 based on the promise of what’s to come

Is this the strangest iPhone launch ever?

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What a week it is forApplefans, with the launch ofiOS 18and the release of theiPhone 16all happening over the next few days. This particular week in September comes around every year like Christmas, giving tech lovers the chance to use a shiny new smartphone or give a lease of life to their old one.

This year’s no different: the iPhone 16,iPhone 16 Plus,iPhone 16 Pro, andiPhone 16 Pro Maxhave arrived on the scene with exciting new features like Camera Control and larger displays on the Pro models. All four models are joined by iOS 18, the next generation of the iPhone’soperating system, which itself brings Home Screen customization options that let you pick any color to tint your app icons, a new Passwords app to house all your login information, and even an updated calculator app with Math Notes. I’m not even scratching the surface with iOS 18, however; there’s plenty more to get excited about and the OS works with every iPhone from the XS and onwards.

So, why the downbeat headline? After all, the iPhone 16 Pro looks like a solid upgrade from last year’sbest iPhone, adding a faster chip, camera upgrades, new buttons, better and larger screens, and even better battery life. Touted as the “first iPhones built from the ground up for Apple Intelligence”, these new smartphones are propelling us into a new Apple AI future – well, sort of.

Want to read our reviews of the iPhone 16 lineup?

You see, plastered across all of Apple’s marketing for the latest iPhones, you’ll find people reaping the benefits ofApple Intelligence. New commercials featuringThe Last of Us’ Bella Ramsey show the actor using AI to summarize emails, speak with the upgraded Siri, and make Movie Memories. All pretty cool, right? Sure, but nestled in each ad (in small white writing) is a disclaimer that Apple Intelligence won’t be available at the iPhone 16’s launch on September 20.

Why, you ask? You just preordered an iPhone 16 because of all the coolApple Intelligence featuresyou’ve seen plastered on the London Underground or shown at the cinema beforeBeetlejuice Beetlejuice. Well, those Apple Intelligence features – like Writing Tools,Clean Up, and new Mail categories – are coming, just not in the first release of iOS 18. It’s a bit of a weird situation, to be totally honest.

Apple is selling the latest and greatest iPhones based on ‘what ifs?’, and as consumers, we’re meant to trust the process and jump on for the ride. Unfortunately, the lack of major features at launch in not only iPhone 16 but iOS 18 too means that these upgrades and updates all feel kind of lukewarm.

Just checkApple’s iOS 18 Previewpage if you don’t believe me: Apple Intelligence is the headline feature, followed by incremental updates to apps we use every day, and color customization options that should’ve arrived on iPhone years ago. It’s all very odd – even Mail’s category feature isn’t available in iOS 18 initially, because it’s powered by Apple AI.

The promise of ‘what ifs?’

As an ex-Apple Retail employee, I don’t envy any of my ex-colleagues who will have to explain to disgruntled customers why their fancy new iPhone can’t do the snazzy things they’ve seen advertised. It’ll even be tough for them from a demo perspective – how do you make retail customers want a product without its best features?

It’s an intriguing situation, but it’s not a long-term one. Apple Intelligence is set to arrive in US English in October as part of iOS 18.1 and then in other localized English languages in December. If you’re in the UK, like I am, you can use Apple Intelligence when it launches in Beta next month by simply changing your device’s language and Siri’s language.

But after the arrival of iOS 18.1, Apple Intelligence tools will arrive in a scattered launch with no real timeframe of when we’ll be able to use everything we were shown atWWDC 2024in June. If current estimates are correct, Siri’s on-screen awareness won’t arrive until iOS 18.4, which is likely to land in March 2025, while other features likeGenmoji and Image Playground are scheduled for iOS 18.2, which will begin rolling out just before the turn of the year, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

This is where my bigger concern lies: the promises of what’s to come. I’ve used Apple Intelligence as part of the iOS 18.1 developer beta and I like what I’ve tried so far, but Genmoji, Image Playground, and the wonder of an actually useful Siri are all just pipedreams right now. No one outside of Apple has even seen these AI tools in the flesh; they aren’t even in beta testing yet as part of a Developer Beta.

So, can Genmoji even generate two emojis together as seamlessly as we saw on stage? Does Image Playground work as well as some of thebest AI image generators? No one has a clue, we’re just putting blind faith in Apple based on the company’s track record of delivering in the past.

This wouldn’t be the first time that Apple has launched a new iPhone with promises of future features (seeDeep Fusion), but it is the first time such a major selling point is just absent from an iPhone’s release. In a year, if all goes well, Apple Intelligence’s muddled launch will be a thing of the distant past. But if Genmoji or Image Playground turns into a replica of the AirPower fiasco, then the iPhone 16 launch could be an absolute nightmare for Apple.

If you’re in the market for a new iPhone, purchasing a new one based on the incredible new A18 chips, Camera Control, and any other hardware improvement will likely make you a happy camper. If you’re looking at the new iPhones for Apple Intelligence, especially the features that aren’t in iOS 18.1, then it’s worth debating between an upgrade now versus one in a few months.

With iOS 18, if you want a few new features and a more stable iPhone operating system, you’ll be happy. But if you install iOS 18 expecting Apple Intelligence and everything you’ve been promised, then you might just feel a little disappointed.

Our iPhone 16 reviews andApple Intelligence hands-onhint at a very exciting year for Apple. Just know what you’re getting yourself into, because if you’re spending hard-earned cash on the promise of future features, you might just end up regretting your decision.

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John-Anthony Disotto is TechRadar’s Senior Writer, AI, ensuring you get the latest information on Tech’s biggest buzzword. An expert in Apple, he was previously iMore’s How To Editor and has a monthly column in MacFormat. Living in Scotland, where he worked for Apple as a technician focused on iOS and iPhone repairs at the Genius Bar, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and is an award-winning journalist with years of experience in editorial.

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