If you're one of the eager beavers who are intending to get your hands on Apple's latest software update as soon as possible, you might want to hold your horses before downloading it.
The tech giant's chief executive, Tim Cook, announced earlier this week that iPhone users will soon have a host of new features at their fingertips when iOS 18 arrives.
Unless you have been living under a rock, you've probably heard that the software update - which is set to be one of Apple's 'biggest ever' - will revolutionise how we use our phones when it finally lands.
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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’s incredibly useful and relevant’.
Apple have also struck a deal with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into Siri, which will allow users to type in queries rather than just talking out loud to the digital assistant.
Siri is also reportedly getting a big upgrade in its language skills and the kind of prompts it can respond to, while the new iOS will also give people the ability to lock certain apps and hide them - which has been branded a 'cheater's paradise' by those online.
All this is very exciting, but if you are thinking of downloading the beta version of the update to get ahead of the rest, tech experts have warned that you might be jumping the gun.
Basically, beta versions of software are a pre-release of the program which is made available for people, usually developers, to try out under real conditions - essentially, these people are guinea pigs for the first drafts of the new iOS.
It has already gone through rigorous testing to get to this point and probably looks and feels a lot like the final product, but the only thing is, there's a high chance you might run into bugs and other problems.
Developers have been testing the beta version of iOS 18 since Monday and it is available now for iPhone users too - so long as you are enrolled in the developer programme - but downloading this software while it is still in a trial period could spell trouble for your Apple device.
The company warns users that the beta update can come with bugs and other teething problems - which may cause snags such as data loss or reduced performance - so, ditching your current software for it could write your phone off.
Apple advise people to backup their devices before downloading the beta, but tech whizzes say you should try and avoid it altogether if you want to stay on the safe side.
One developer wrote in a post on X: "People wanting to download iOS 18 be warned - it will be buggy, it might brick your iPhone and certain apps may not work with it. Be warned - it’s a beta for a reason."
Apparently, the problems which will likely come along with this version can result in your iPhone becoming extremely slow, impact app operations or even cause your device to crash.
So, you might be best just hanging on until iOS 18 has been tried and tested, which will have all of it's issues ironed out.
Cook said we should expect it to be released in autumn 2024.
The public beta software will be available in July, which will pretty much be a more finely tuned version of the current one - but again, it comes with a degree of risk.
These premature updates come with a 'Feedback' app which is where users can report the problems they run in to.
LADbible have contacted Apple for comment.
Topics: Technology, iPhone, Apple, News
Olivia Burke