After months of beta testing and a ton of advertising, Apple Intelligence is officially here. If you have a compatible iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you can install Apple’s latest update and try out the first wave of new generative AI features on your devices. You’ll just have to wait in line first.
As it happens, you can’t just turn on your compatible Apple device and expect Apple Intelligence to be up and running. Once you install iOS 18.1 on your iPhone 15 Pro or newer, iPadOS 18.1 on your A17 Pro or M-series iPad, or macOS 15.1 on your M-series Mac, you’ll actually need to join the Apple Intelligence waitlist if you want to have the opportunity to test out these new AI features today.
We’ve covered how to actually enable (or turn off) Apple Intelligence on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, so if you’re interested, check out our guide. But maybe you’ve just come from that guide, after joining Apple’s waitlist, and are wondering, “Man…how long is this supposed to take?”
Expect to wait up to a few hours (I had to wait 90 minutes)
The answer? It depends. Officially, Apple says Apple Intelligence is “usually available for activation within a few hours of joining the waitlist, though wait times can vary.” The company doesn’t want every eligible user signing up for Apple Intelligence at once, and is trying to spread out activation by introducing a delay with this waitlist.
That said, your wait time will definitely vary. Back when the beta first started rolling out, I remember users reporting that the waitlist took anywhere from 30 minutes, to just seconds to get approved. Right now it appears to be a longer wait, as more users are jumping on the bandwagon. Personally, it took about an hour and a half for my own access to get approved.
Once you are approved, iOS, iPadOS, or macOS will send alert you via a notification from the Settings app, which reads, “Ready for Apple Intelligence: Time to experience the new personal intelligence system.”
