Starting next month, users of compatible iPhones will be able to enjoy the full Apple Intelligence features (in beta) as part of the expected iOS 18.1 update. Unless they live in the EU or China – Two areas where Apple will not be issued There is no information about the new AI features yet.
First, let’s see which devices are eligible to get Apple Intelligence. Due to NPU performance and RAM requirements, only the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max from older models are supported, but all new models (iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max) are compatible.
You’ll of course need iOS 18.1, at least 4GB of storage available and the device and Siri language set to a supported language.
Only US English will be supported initially, but other regional English versions will be added in December. Next year, the language selection will expand to support Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish.
Apple Intelligence will support only English at first, more languages will come next year
However, even if you set up your iPhone and Siri to a supported language, it won’t work if you have set your Apple ID country/region to an EU country and you are physically in the EU. However, it will work when traveling outside the EU.
EU users of the iOS 18 beta also suggest that there is an alternative way to get Apple Intelligence to work in the EU – you need to set your AppleID region to a supported region like the US. However, this has far bigger implications. Changing the region will require you to empty your iTunes Store balance and cancel all your Apple subscriptions beforehand. It will also require you to enter a fake address located in the region that may or may not serve as a billing address for your payment methods (if you want to buy apps and services from Apple). Upon changing the region, you will lose access to all the apps in your regional AppStore that you have paid for and you will have to start afresh in the new AppStore.
Compared to the EU, the restrictions for China are even stricter – Apple Intelligence will not work on any iPhone purchased in mainland China. For iPhones purchased elsewhere, Apple Intelligence will not work unless they are in mainland China or if your Apple ID region is set to mainland China.
The good news is that phones bought in the EU will eventually get Apple intelligence. By the way, what’s holding it back?
Regulation, mainly, specifically the Digital Markets Act (DMA). First, the EU wants independent experts to be able to verify that Apple is routinely keeping customer data private. This is something Apple specifically mentioned during its presentation – AI features that don’t run on the device will run on Apple servers that exclusively use Apple silicon, which will never store your data or images.
However, this close integration between Apple Intelligence and other Apple services could harm it. Remember that the DMA names Apple as a “Gatekeeper” This means it has to follow strict rules about fair competition and transparency due to the large number of consumers who use its products and services. The core technology fee that Apple insists on charging developers could also prove to be an issue.
It’s not that it can’t be done; it’s a case of Apple being cautious. The company is reportedly in talks with EU regulators about the best way to implement Apple Intelligence and other affected features.
CNBC reported that Apple has blocked enhancements to iPhone mirroring and SharePlay for EU consumers due to similar concerns over DMA regulations. Apple claims that “DMA’s interoperability requirements may force us to compromise the integrity of our products, which could threaten user privacy and data security.”
Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.1 will support the following features, and you can expect that not all of these features will be available on iPhones in the EU and China. You can find out more about Apple Intelligence here.
- Writing Instruments
- Cleanliness in pictures
- Create a memory movie in photos
- Natural language search in photos
- Notification Summary
- Minimize interruptions and focus
- Focus on intelligent success and silence
- Priority messages in Mail
- Smart Reply in Mail and Messages
- Summary in Mail and Messages
- Improvements to Siri, including product knowledge, more flexible request management, new look and feel, more natural voice, the ability to type into Siri, and more