Can’t wait for iOS 18? You still might want to skip the first beta release

Expect lots of bugs

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Appleis set to reveal a whole host of features coming toiOS 18at itsWWDC 2024later today – from anAI-enhanced Sirito a morecustomizable Control Center– but you might want to hold off from installing the first beta release of the software.

According to Bloomberg’sMark Gurman, who has a good track record with Apple predictions, a lot of iOS 18 features have “come in really hot”, and that means the early beta versions are likely to be “especially buggy”.

My sense is that many of the features in the first iOS 18 beta have come in really hot and this first seed is going to be especially buggy. In fact, some are surprised the first betas are going out tomorrow. As I’ve said, the AI features will be a beta - even at launch in fall.June 10, 2024

If Apple sticks to its usual schedule, we’re going to get an iOS 18 developer beta this week (available to anyone who registers for a free Apple developer account), a full public launch in September, and a public beta (open to anyone who wants to opt in) sometime in between.

While many users will be tempted to install the beta editions as soon as possible in order to get the new iOS 18 features, it might be worth holding off for a while – especially if you’re thinking of installing the software on a primary device that you rely on every day.

Catching up

Gurman haspreviously saidthat some of the AI features in iOS 18 – which will apparently be collectively branded ‘Apple Intelligence’ – are going to come with beta labels attached, indicating that they’re not the finished products but rather works in progress.

It would be a somewhat unusual move for Apple to release features before they’re finished, but the company is under pressure fromOpenAI’sChatGPTandMicrosoft’s Copilot, andSamsungandGooglehave also addedplenty of AI tricksto their latest phones.

In a bid to not fall further behind those competitors, Apple is rumored to havesigned a deal with OpenAIto provide some kind of ChatGPT integration in iOS 18. That suggests Siri isn’t quite ready to be a fully fledgedchatbot, though it’s unlikely that Apple will want to rely on ChatGPT forever.

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All will be revealed in a few hours, and of coursewe’re covering WWDC 2024 livehere on TechRadar. It gets underway at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST (which is 3am AEST on June 11 for those in Australia) – if you want to tune in check out our guide onhow to watch WWDC 2024.

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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

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