If you’re one of those eager beavers intent on getting your hands on the latest Apple software update as soon as possible, you might want to hold your horse before downloading.
The tech giant’s CEO, Tim Cook, announced earlier this week that iPhone users will soon have a number of new features at their fingertips when iOS 18 arrives.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard that the software update – which is expected to be one of Apple’s “biggest ever” – will revolutionize how we use our phones when it finally lands.
Cook explained that iOS 18 will mark the debut of ‘Apple Intelligence’, which he described as ‘a personal intelligence system for iPhone, iPad and Mac that combines the power of generative models with personal context to deliver intelligence that is incredibly useful and relevant. .
Apple has also struck a deal with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into Siri, allowing users to ask questions instead of just speaking out loud to the digital assistant.
Siri is also reportedly getting a big upgrade in her language skills and the kind of prompts she can respond to, while the new iOS will also allow people to lock certain apps and hide them – which has been labeled a ‘cheater’s paradise’. you online.
This is all very exciting, but if you’re thinking about downloading the beta version of the update to get a head start, tech experts have warned that you might be jumping the gun.
People have been warned not to rush to download the iOS 18 beta (Filip Radwanski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Software betas are basically a preliminary version of a program that is available to people, usually developers, to try out in real-world conditions – these people are basically guinea pigs for the first drafts of the new iOS.
It’s already gone through rigorous testing to get to this point, and it probably looks and feels very similar to the final product, but the only thing is that there’s a high chance you’ll run into bugs and other issues.
Developers have been beta testing iOS 18 since Monday, and it’s also now available for iPhone users — if you’re enrolled in the developer program — but downloading the software while it’s still in the trial period could cause problems for your Apple device.
The company warns users that the beta update may come with bugs and other initial issues — which can cause hiccups like data loss or reduced performance — so if you stop using your current software because of it, it could write off your phone.
Apple advises people to back up their devices before downloading the beta, but techies say you should avoid it altogether if you want to stay on the safe side.
Apple warned people to make backups before installing software (Getty Stock Photo)
One developer wrote in a post on X: “People looking to download iOS 18, be warned – it will be buggy, it may brick your iPhone, and some apps may not work with it. Be warned – it’s beta for a reason.”
It seems that the issues that are likely to come with this version may cause your iPhone to become extremely slow, affect app operations, or even cause your device to crash.
So it might be best to wait until iOS 18 is tried and tested, which will iron out all of its issues.
Cook said we should expect it to be released in the fall of 2024.
A public beta version of the software will be available in July, which will be more or less a tweaked version of the current one – but again comes with some risk.
These early updates come with a “Feedback” app where users can report issues they encounter.
LADbible has contacted Apple for comment.
Featured image credit: Getty Stock Photo/Apple
Topics: Technology, iPhone, Apple, News