All iPhone users have been warned not to download Apple’s latest update, or they risk bricking their smartphones or apps.
Developers have been testing iOS 18 beta since Monday, discovering bugs with text notifications, battery life, photo storage, and the new “Lock and Hide an App” feature, among others.
While the beta version is intended for this type of testing, average users take risks by downloading it as their main software.
“People who want to download iOS 18 are warned: it will be buggy, it could brick your iPhone, and certain apps may not work with it,” a developer on X shared.
“Be careful: it’s a beta version for a reason.”
Early testers of Apple’s new iOS 18 beta found a slew of bugs in less than 24 hours after the tech giant unveiled the software on Monday afternoon.
A developer found a bug in iMessage while testing iOS 18 beta
While the details may seem like Apple’s software is flawed, it’s usually full of bugs before it’s released to the masses.
The new iOS 18 was unveiled at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), including ways to personalize the home screen, schedule text messages, lock and hide apps, and AI-powered features.
All users can download the updated operating system, which will run as a developer beta on smartphones.
However, the version is designed for early developers who are trained to find bugs in the software that can make iPhones unstable.
Glitches can make it difficult for the app to function or, worse yet, brick your devices.
Developer John William Archer discovered that his iPhone 12 Pro Max was automatically restarting when he exited the lock screen.
Another bug was found with the new Lock and Hide an App feature, which can make apps ‘invisible’ or only accessible through Face ID verification.
Archer shared that he couldn’t open an app once he locked or hid it.
The feature was designed to keep certain apps like banking hidden from the home screen or prevent children from purchasing items on Amazon without their parents’ permission.
However, users have dubbed it “a cheater’s paradise” because cheating partners can hide their dating apps, social media, text messages and photos from others.
All users can download the updated operating system, which will run as a developer beta on smartphones. However, the version is designed for early developers who are trained to find bugs in software that can make iPhones unstable.
Developers have been testing iOS 18 beta, revealing issues with text notifications, battery life, photo storage, and the new “Lock an App” feature, among others.
An Apple enthusiast, who goes by the name Jaden, discovered what he called “a major bug”: none of his photos or videos had been saved in the Photos app.
“Man, this is not a good start,” the tech expert shared on X.
Another user shared that the problem with iOS 18 is that the update is draining their iPhone 15 Pro Max “like crazy.”
Along with the new features, Apple also announced the new ‘Apple Intelligence’ powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
At the unveiling event, CEO Tim Cook said Apple Intelligence marks “a new chapter in Apple innovation” and will “transform what users can do with our products.”
“Our unique approach combines generative AI with the user’s personal context to deliver truly actionable intelligence,” Cook said.
ChatGPT will integrate with Siri, Apple’s built-in virtual assistant.
The Apple enthusiast who goes by the name Jaden discovered what he called “a major bug”: none of his photos or videos had been saved in the Photos app.
All iPhone users have been warned not to download Apple’s latest update, or they risk bricking their smartphones or apps.
With better “language understanding capabilities” enabled by ChatGPT, Siri will help you across multiple apps and “speed up everyday tasks,” Apple said.
You’ll be able to hold down the side button to activate Siri as usual, but with ChatGPT behind it, Siri will be able to “answer thousands of questions about how to do something” that it couldn’t before.
For example, you could say “Play that podcast Jamie recommended” and Siri will locate and play the episode, without the user having to remember if it was mentioned in a text message or email.
Or you could ask, “When is Mom’s flight landing?” and Siri will find the flight details and compare them with real-time flight tracking to give an arrival time.
Apple insists that Siri will not record or store the user’s private information and queries, unlike the regular version of ChatGPT.
The partnership will enable AI-generated emojis, allowing users to type a short message in the iMessage app to get a unique emoji and the system will deliver the icon as requested.
And technology has enabled a new cleanup tool for the Photos app, which makes ultra-clean edits to photos, without any telltale signs that the snapshot has been manipulated in any way.