Europe and China will get Apple AI

I found a ton of good reasons to install iOS 18 right away that have nothing to do with Apple Intelligence. But there’s no doubt that Apple Intelligence is the most important feature in iOS 18. It’s one of the greatest advances in iPhone history.

I would have installed iOS 18.1 beta 1 a few days ago to start testing the first Apple Intelligence features built into the iPhone software. However, my iPhone 14 Pro does not support Apple AI. Even if it did, Apple Intelligence is not available in Europe on any Apple device, not just the iPhone. That is why I could not upgrade to iOS 18.1.

I expected this, as Apple confirmed a few weeks ago that it was halting the release of Apple Intelligence in the region due to local regulations. Apple had to resort to the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The new regulations forced the company to completely overhaul the iPhone software for the region in a way it wouldn’t have considered without regulatory pressure.

But I don’t want third-party app stores or the payment systems that DMA provides. I just want to enjoy Apple’s software without government interference. In that case, I’m dying to try Apple Intelligence as soon as I upgrade to the iPhone 16. While I have no idea when that will be, I do know that Apple is working with the EU to bring Apple Intelligence to supported devices in the region.

Of course, I expected this to happen. I knew Apple would work to adapt Apple Intelligence to EU needs, just like any other tech company launching new products in the region. I saw this happen with virtually every AI product launched before Apple Intelligence. The EU received ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude later than other markets.

However, during Thursday’s third-quarter 2024 financial results conference call, Apple confirmed it is working with regulators in Europe and China to launch Apple Intelligence in those markets.

“We are engaged, as you might imagine, with both of the regulatory bodies that you mentioned,” Tim Cook said when asked about Apple Intelligence in the EU and China. “And our goal is to move as quickly as we can, of course, because our goal is always to make features available to everyone. We need to understand the regulatory requirements before we can commit to that and set a timeline, but we are very constructively engaged with both parties.”

While the CEO didn’t commit to any release dates for Apple Intelligence, the above statement is reassuring. It sounds better than what Apple offered us a few weeks ago.

Apple cited privacy and security concerns at the time as reasons for not bringing Apple Intelligence to Europe at the time. “We are concerned that DMA interoperability requirements could force us to compromise the integrity of our products in a way that puts user privacy and data security at risk,” Apple said in mid-June. That’s all the company had to say about Apple Intelligence’s availability in the EU.

Cook’s statements during the earnings conference call sound promising, even without an Apple Intelligence launch schedule.

Given that this is the first year of Apple Intelligence features on iOS, that won’t be a problem. Apple will roll out its AI features in stages. Some will be ready now, like the Apple Intelligence features in the first iOS 18.1 beta 1. Others will require several months of development, like the more advanced Siri assistant we saw at WWDC.

Cook confirmed this during the call. He said that some AI features and support for other languages ​​will be added over the course of the year.

We’ll be waiting a full year to take advantage of some of the Apple Intelligence features Apple announced at WWDC. Additional DMA delays won’t bother me.