Apple hasn’t officially released iOS 18 yet, but the first test version of iOS 18.1 is already available. What’s the difference between the two betas?
iOS 18 Test Builds Available
September is the day, because then the official version of iOS 18 will finally be released. Apple already released the first beta in June, so that developers can already get started with (some of) the new functions. In the meantime, the public test version has also been released, so that all users can install the update. That’s not all, because developers can even try out iOS 18.1.
Also read: These Apple devices won’t get Apple Intelligence (for this reason)
This is the first time that Apple is making the beta of the second update available, even before the first version of the new iOS generation has been released. This has to do with the arrival of Apple Intelligence, this technology will only be available with iOS 18.1. The intention is that developers can already get started with the new AI functions.
Apple Intelligence added
The big difference between the test versions is the launch of Apple Intelligence. With iOS 18.1, the first AI functions become available, such as taking pictures with text commands, searching in the Photo library and summarizing texts. The new Siri interface has also been added to the update, but the integration of ChatGPT with new language models is not yet available.
The fifth test version of iOS 18 has to do without Apple Intelligence, but it does have other new features. For example, ‘Hide Disruptive Items’ has been added to Safari and the Photos app has been adjusted. We do not see these changes in iOS 18.1. So it seems that Apple only released that update to test Apple Intelligence.
Europe is not getting Apple Intelligence (yet)
Unfortunately, iOS 18.1 does have a number of disadvantages. The software version is not yet very stable, while most bugs have already been fixed in the test versions of iOS 18. In addition, the update is not available to everyone, only users with an iPhone 15 Pro (Max) can update. For European developers, there is another disadvantage: Apple Intelligence cannot be tested here.
Also read: Apple in negotiations with the EU so that we do get Apple Intelligence
For now, we have to do without the new AI functions here, because Apple is still in talks with the European Union about the rollout of Apple Intelligence. Installing iOS 18.1 is therefore mainly interesting for developers in the United States, where the new technology is available. In Europe, that will take a while; according to rumors, Apple Intelligence will not be coming to all iPhones and iPads until 2025. So, please be patient.
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