Unfortunately. Apple is once again unable to complete all iOS 18 features in time for its initial release in September. Here are the features you’ll have to wait a little longer for.
iOS 18 Delayed Features
The public beta of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 has recently become available for anyone to install on their phones. However, this public test version does not include nearly every feature Apple announced during WWDC 2024. Some will likely be added before the September release, while others have already been marked as “coming later (this year).” However, these are some of the coolest new features of iOS 18. iPhoned gives you an overview of features you will have to wait longer for.
Apple Intelligence
Probably the most important new feature in iOS 18, the AI suite Apple Intelligence, will only be available in beta from this fall, and only for the ‘US English’ speech setting. European languages will not be available until next year anyway (Apple will probably start with French, German and UK English), but in the EU we may have to wait even longer. Apple is threatening to delay the launch of Apple Intelligence in the EU, and therefore the Netherlands and Belgium, due to ‘concerns’ about the Digital Markets Act. To be continued, of course.
Smarter emailing
An indirect consequence of the fact that Apple Intelligence is being delayed? The innovations of Mail will also take a little longer. Mail will now automatically sort messages using AI. This will give you folders for social media or newsletters from shops. In addition, Mail can summarize the content of your digital mail or even write new texts for you. This may very well be possible for the English language as early as September.
Smarter Siri
We will probably have to wait a lot longer for the new version of Siri. Apple has still not announced what exactly Siri will be able to do from the fall. However, there are many reliable rumors that the smart assistant will not be fully ready until the spring of 2024. Apple itself has already admitted that the voice assistant will initially not be able to interact with apps via AI and cannot analyze the contents of the screen.
iPhone Mirroring
One of the coolest features of iOS 18 combined with macOS Sequoia is the ability to remotely control your iPhone from your Mac. You’ll simply see your iPhone screen as a window on your Mac. While this feature is already in beta, certain functionality like drag-and-drop file transfers is still missing, making it a lot less practical. Oh yeah, and iPhone Mirroring is also one of the features that may not come to the EU at all due to DMA rules.
These features are still to come
Fortunately, there are also more than enough functions that will be available immediately upon release of iOS 18. For example, you can record the sound of phone calls, there is a completely new Passwords app and you can make your home screen completely your own with a specific layout of the icons and widgets. Do you want to stay informed about all developments surrounding iOS 18? Sign up for our daily or weekly iPhoned newsletter.