Apple is steadily building up its Apple Intelligence feature set, with new languages on the horizon for 2024. After launching its AI tools in US English this October, the company has announced a plan to support German, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Vietnamese, and other languages in the coming year. This news arrives just days before the much-anticipated release of the iPhone 16, a device marketed heavily for its AI capabilities—though, ironically, none of those AI features will be available at launch.
Apple Intelligence: A slow rollout
Apple Intelligence, which aims to enhance user experience with AI-driven capabilities, is set to expand beyond the US. By December, localized English versions will be available in the UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand, with India and Singapore getting access next year. Apple also confirmed that Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish will join the list of supported languages by 2024, showing that the company is gradually expanding its global AI footprint.
This gradual rollout comes with a caveat: even US users who get Apple Intelligence first will need to wait for its full functionality. While the iPhone 16 is being positioned as a phone designed for AI, those features won’t arrive until later this fall, and even then, only a limited subset of Apple’s AI capabilities will be available. A broader rollout of features is expected in 2025, which means that early adopters will have to be patient as Apple gradually brings its promised AI tools to life.
With so much of the marketing focused on Apple Intelligence, it’s clear that the company sees AI as central to the future of its devices. Yet, for now, users will only be able to experience the hardware without the full range of AI functionality.
The delay could create frustration for customers who expect cutting-edge technology straight out of the box. It’s a bold strategy, especially in a market where competitors like Google and Samsung are rolling out AI features with greater immediacy. The fact that users in the US will need to wait until 2025 for full access to Apple Intelligence tools—and international users even longer—raises questions about how this staggered release will affect the iPhone’s position in the smartphone market.
When it comes to availability, the Cupertino firm states: “Apple Intelligence will be available as a free software update. The first set of Apple Intelligence features will be available in beta next month as part of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1, with more features rolling out in the months to come. It will be available on iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPad and Mac with M1 and later, with device and Siri language set to U.S. English. Additional languages and platforms are coming over the course of the next year.”
Featured image credit: Apple
