Apple Intelligence rolls out globally in iOS 18.1 beta 3 — EU and China still in Apple's dog box

Apple announced its Apple Intelligence features back in June, and they initially made an appearance in the latest iOS 18 beta versions for the iPhone 15 Pro models and any iPad or Mac with an M1 SoC or newer. However, there have been a few location-related complications with the rollout of the AI features. Specifically, the features were region-locked to the US, requiring iOS beta testers outside the US to sign in with a US Apple ID in the App Store and switch all of their region and language settings to US English. 

According to a report by 9to5Mac, however, as of iOS18.1 beta 3, those region locks have been removed for the majority of the world, with users in China and the European Union still not able to access the AI features. Previous news indicated that Apple Intelligence would outright skip The EU when it launched later this year, citing issues with the Digital Markets Act that has otherwise wrought havoc on Apple's strategy in the EU and resulted in a potential EUR 30 billion fine for the tech giant. 

While the Apple Intelligence features will now be available to users outside the US, many of the features will still require that the device's language be set to English US to offer proper functionality. The Apple Intelligence suite offers up a familiar mix of useful features and gimmicks, such as an AI-powered Siri assistant and writing tool, as well as an AI-powered image editor and image generation tool with an API for various app integrations. 

Apple Intelligence is slated to launch in October this year as a feature update to iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia. 

Try Apple Intelligence via the iOS 18.1 beta on an iPhone 15 Pro Max (curr. $984.95 on Amazon).