Interested in Apple’s take on AI? You may need to join a waitlist first.

Yesterday, Apple announced that its new Apple Intelligence AI suite would arrive in the beta versions of Apple’s next OS upgrades for iPad, iPhone, and Mac this fall. Unfortunately, there seems to be a catch: there might be a waitlist involved.

MacRumors first spotted code references in the current iOS 18 beta linked to “Graymatter,” an internal codename associated with Apple Intelligence. One string in the code specifically mentions, “Join the Graymatter Waiting List.” Furthermore, another line of text indicates, “While Graymatter is in limited preview, you may experience unusually slow responses when not in a supported region.”

It’s easy to connect the dots here. Apple will likely test its AI features in staged waves to ensure it can meet server demands, handle bug fixes, and more. What is less certain is whether limited preview refers to limiting the number of people who will have access or if the Apple Intelligence Beta will simply have fewer features initially. Both scenarios are certainly possible.

We also wonder if this waitlist will apply only to Apple’s beta OS builds or if the final builds of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia will initially have a limited beta launch of Apple Intelligence as well. It’s unclear if participating in the OS betas earlier will increase your chances of accessing Apple Intelligence sooner. While it’s certainly possible, we wouldn’t rush to install iOS 18 or any of Apple’s new betas until a more stable public release is available.

Hopefully, we will learn more soon about how this waiting list will work and what requirements are involved. What we do know is that Apple suggests its AI features won’t arrive in the beta until Fall, so we still have quite some time before Apple clarifies the situation.

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