iOS 18.5 Already in Testing as Apple Intelligence Features for Siri Potentially Delayed

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Apple's software engineers have been internally testing iOS 18.5 since at least the start of February, according to the MacRumors visitor logs.

iOS 18 Siri Personal Context
Ordinarily, the presence of iOS 18.5 in our logs would not be remarkable. However, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple was considering delaying or limiting at least some of its promised Apple Intelligence enhancements for Siri until iOS 18.5, due to the presence of bugs and other software engineering issues.

The new Apple Intelligence features for Siri were originally expected to debut with iOS 18.4, according to Gurman. The enhancements include on-screen awareness, understanding of a user's personal context, and deeper per-app controls. For example, during its WWDC 2024 keynote, Apple showed an iPhone user asking Siri about their mother's flight and lunch reservation plans based on info from the Mail and Messages apps.

The first iOS 18.4 beta is expected to be released this week. Gurman said it is still possible that at least some of the Apple Intelligence features for Siri will be included in iOS 18.4, but they could be turned off by default. Even still, it is possible that the features might not be added until later iOS 18.4 beta versions, buying Apple more time.

Following the beta testing period, Apple's website suggests that iOS 18.4 will be released in April, but it is unclear if that timeframe will shift due to the reported bugs and potential delays with the Apple Intelligence for Siri rollout.

The first iOS 18.5 beta should arrive in April, and that update would likely be released in May, based on the typical iOS release schedule.

Apple Intelligence requires an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 model.

Tags: Apple Intelligence Guide, Siri Guide
Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18

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Top Rated Comments

xmarcuswildx Avatar
xmarcuswildx
11 months ago
Said it back in September… it was going to take until after ios 19 release. Apple needs to stop with this ****.

I’m so sick and tired of feature announcements at a WWDC in June for software on new hardware in September just to show its features that inevitably never release with the device, or takes until 3/4 of the software cycle to be released.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrono1081 Avatar
chrono1081
11 months ago
This is what happens when you let project managers set the timelines instead of developers. It's a tale as old as time. I'll never forget the time I told a project manager I needed double the time she allotted me for the features she wanted and she said "No, writing code is no different than writing an email."

She got the feature she allocated time for and looked like an idiot in front of the stakeholders when it didn't work right.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Canyda Avatar
Canyda
11 months ago

Said it back in September… it was going to take until after ios 19 release. Apple needs to stop with this ****.

I’m so sick and tired of feature announcements at a WWDC in June for software on new hardware in September just to show its features that inevitably never release with the device, or takes until 3/4 of the software cycle to be released.
Honestly, Apple needs to stop with the "annual hard release date for major iOS iteration" thing and just move to rolling incremental updates when things are actually ready and not tied to a fake date on the calendar. The software release announcements are very much becoming "over promise and under deliver" and they need to do the opposite.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DEMinSoCAL Avatar
DEMinSoCAL
11 months ago

I mean it’s obvious that Apple lags behind in AI. You have to admit, it is a bit shocking, especially considering they were early to the AI Assistant game with Siri.
Except Siri never got better, almost like Apple forgot about making it better. After all these years, Siri is embarrassingly bad. Apple doesn't seem to know how to make AI work.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DEMinSoCAL Avatar
DEMinSoCAL
11 months ago

It’s quite funny that they announced it um in June and might end up shipping it in June ONE YEAR LATER lol
The iPhone 16 series was marketed with the main feature being "made for Apple Intelligence", yet the real stuff from AI doesn't exist yet. Apple owes us 16-series owners a partial refund for false advertising.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
0049190 Avatar
0049190
11 months ago

Love the folks who say "Apple needs to (insert advice here)". Going to tell a trillion dollar company what they need to do.
They won’t be a trillion dollar company for long if they stop listening to their customers.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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