Why does iOS 18 roll out differently for older iPhone models?

Actually it is probably the exact reason you said, that if would severely slow down older models causing complaints. The Hardware is just not fast enough in the older phones, which requires the faster CPU and faster speed of the GPU through the multiple cores to use the AI features. If Apple did release it on those phones, I would expect these boards to be filled with the complaints like:

• Apple is deliberating slowing down my phone
• My phone is now unusable after the update

The reason why you can access ChatGPT on your iPhone 14 is because you are just providing all your information to them and they process it on their servers and send the results back to you. That is not good enough for Apple due to privacy concerns. In no way would you want to turn over all the information on your phone to ChatGPT on their servers, so Apple has come up with a way to do on device processing where Apple Intelligence does not have to leave your phone. This requires much more on device processing power. You can still make ChatGPT requests, but now it would be anonymized through a feature called Private Cloud Compute, where even Apple does not know the information that is provided.

Tbh this reminds me of how Siri only supports the iPhone 4s, and not the iPhone 3GS up to iPhone 4; even tho the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 also had iOS 5. So this is probably just an Apple thing. And you can’t change it unless Apple decides to :((

Just to avoid possible disappointment for anyone reading, Apple Intelligence will require the iPhone 15 Pro models. The regular Iphone 15 will not support it.

Blackalbum_ wrote:

Does anyone else find it a bit unusual that "Apple Intelligence" is being rolled out exclusively to those with the latest devices, like those running iOS 15 and 16? This seems unlike Apple's usual approach. I own an iPhone 14, and traditionally, Apple has extended software updates to devices that are at least three years old. Given their platform of inclusivity, this decision doesn't appear aligned with that principle—if anything, it feels contradictory.

From what I’ve read, it seems that only users with iPhone 15 and 16 will have access to Apple Intelligence when iOS 18 is released. I suspect the older models will receive a watered-down version of the software, particularly because Apple Intelligence seems to be heavily reliant on AI features.

This situation reminds me of something that happened a few years ago, though different in context but similar in essence—when older devices experienced slowdowns after new models were launched. Many felt this was done to encourage upgrades, though not everyone can afford to upgrade their device so frequently, especially when they’ve just bought an iPhone 14. 

It seems that rolling out these features to older models, like the iPhone 12, would have been a wiser business decision, especially considering Apple’s values of inclusivity. However, I could be missing something here. Despite this, I can still access features like ChatGPT and others on my iPhone 14, so it’s puzzling why this particular feature wasn’t extended to earlier models.

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

The only thing you're missing is no iPhones below iPhone 15 Pro models have the processing power to use Apple Intelligence. It's not an Apple conspiracy to get you to upgrade. It is simply the processor power of the phone AND if Apple Intelligence is important to you, you'll justify an upgrade. In addition, Apple Intelligence requires an iPhone with at least 8GB of Ram. The ONLY previous models which have that much RAM are the iPhone 15 Pro Models. Otherwise your iPhone will continue doing what it did the day you bought it. Expecting it to be able to do what phones with faster processors can, is not realistic.

Just buy the new phone, or the 15, if you’re that excited about Apple Intelligence like everyone else…