Apple has been internally testing iOS 18.5 since at least the beginning of February, according to a MacRumors report. The website says it has seen devices running iOS 18.5 appear in its visitor logs.
While new betas showing up in web logs isn’t unusual, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple may be planning to delay or limit at least some of its promised Apple Intelligence features for Siri until iOS 18.5. The cause of the possible delay is said to be due to bugs and other software engineering issues.
Apple had originally planned to being enhanced features for Siri in iOS 18.4, says Gurman, including on-screen awareness, understanding of a user’s personal context, and deeper per-app controls.
Apple is expected to release the first beta of iOS 18.4 to developers sometime this week, and it’s still possible that at least some of the planned Siri enhancements could still make an appearance in iOS 18.4.
Apple’s website still suggests that iOS 18.4 is scheduled for an April release, but that timeframe could shift due to the reported bugs in Apple Intelligence for Siri.
The first iOS 18.5 beta should be seeded to developers in April, and that update would likely be released to the public in May.
