iOS 18.1 Has an Apple Intelligence Waitlist, but What's the Waitlist for?

Artificial intelligence has entered basically every facet of our lives, and many of the world's biggest tech platforms have already introduced their own versions of it. Apple Intelligence is one of the latest AI technologies to become available to some users, and Apple's latest update, iOS 18.1, introduces it to Apple devices.

Following the introduction of Apple Intelligence, many wanted to understand why there was a waitlist to gain access to the new technology. Here's what we know about why Apple decided to ask people to put their names on a waitlist.

After installing iOS 18.1, you have to put your name on a waitlist in order to gain access to the app's features. You will then get a notification when Apple Intelligence becomes available to you. To join the waitlist, you just have to go to Settings and then navigate to Apple Intelligence & Siri.

If you're wondering why there is a waitlist in the first place, you aren't alone. It's not typical for Apple to put people on a waitlist to gain access to a new feature.

The reason Apple Intelligence has a waitlist is because Apple is still describing the feature as in beta. That means that the technology is still in its earliest stages. According to an Apple support doc: "Apple Intelligence uses generative models, and outputs may be inaccurate, unexpected, or offensive. Check important information for accuracy."

Basically, Apple is limiting access to limit the risk associated with the new feature.

There have been a number of high-profile examples of AI models that have said offensive or inaccurate things, and those examples have often been used as proof that AI as a whole is not worth investing in.

Over the summer, Apple granted access to developers and public beta testers, and now, it's essentially broadening the user base to further the strength of its model.

In addition to concerns about what the feature might actually say, Apple is slowly ramping up its number of available users to ensure that its server has the capacity to manage them. Apple Intelligence runs largely on the device of individual users, but it first needs to download several generative models from Apple itself. Some of the features will also require Apple Intelligence to regularly interact with Apple's servers.

The exact length of the waitlist for Apple Intelligence will depend on exactly when you downloaded iOS 18.1 and put your name on the waitlist. If you downloaded the software and joined the waitlist the second it became available, it's highly possible that you already have access to the features.

If you joined at some point later, though, your wait may be longer. Waits for AI features have not, generally speaking, been fairly short, and it seems unlikely you'll be waiting longer than a couple of weeks. The longer you wait to put your name on the waitlist, the longer it will take for you to gain access.