Apple Intelligence arrive with iOS 18.1 next week — here’s how to skip the waitlist

The wait for Apple Intelligence is almost over, with news that iOS 18.1 should be arriving on compatible iPhones sometime next week. This marks the first time Apple’s AI tools will be available out of beta, but some of you may be shocked to discover you can’t use those features right away.

As pointed out by 9to5Mac, Apple Intelligence will almost certainly have a waitlist — just like the beta version did. But while the beta waitlist was pretty short, and unlocked AI features within a few hours at most, the public version could be a totally different story. Thankfully there may be a way to skip the line.

According to 9to5Mac it is possible to install the iOS 18.1 Release Candidate beta right now. Once installed, anyone with a compatible iPhone will be able to join the Apple Intelligence waitlist without having to wait until next week. Right now compatible phones are limited to the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, plus all four iPhone 16 models.

Once you have the RC beta installed, you can head into the Settings menu, and tap the Apple Intelligence & Siri option. This lets you sign up for the wait list, and means you can get a head start on everyone else. And because the Release Candidate is more or less identical to the public version coming next week, you should be able to experience Apple intelligence without all the same issues that earlier beta testers will have had to endure.

Though that’s not to say the experience will be entirely bug free, and that is a risk you will have to take to skip the line. Beta software is still beta software, no matter when you actually install it. Check out our guide on how to download the iOS 18.1 public beta, for full instructions on how to sign up for the beta program and get access to Apple Intelligence a little early.

iOS 18.1 RC beta is available on the public and developer beta programs, but it will mean signing up for the iOS 18 beta first. This does mean you’ll be in line to get upcoming versions of the beta, including the upcoming iOS 18.2 beta. That means you get to test even more Apple Intelligence features that are set to arrive with that update, including the custom Genmoji.

You can of course revert back to the public version of iOS 18.1 once it’s been released. So if you’re not comfortable with using beta software, and dealing with the problems that could arise, you don’t have to.

The good news is that once your Apple Account has access to Apple Intelligence, it shouldn’t matter which version of iOS 18.1 you have installed.

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