Urgent warning to all iPhone users not to download iOS 18 beta or risk crippling consequences

All iPhone users have been warned not to download Apple’s latest update – or risk their smartphones or apps crashing.

Developers have been testing the beta version of iOS 18 since Monday, discovering bugs with issues including text message notifications, battery life, photo saving and the new “Lock and Hide an App” feature.

Although the beta version is for such trial versions, average users take risks by downloading it as their main software.

“Folks looking to download iOS 18, be warned: it’s buggy, it may freeze your iPhone, and certain apps may not work with it,” a developer shared on X.

“Be warned: it’s a beta for a reason.”

While the details may seem like Apple’s software is flawed, it is typically riddled with flaws before it is released to the general public.

The new iOS 18 was unveiled at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), which will discuss ways to customize 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 software that can make iPhones unstable.

The issues can hinder the functioning of apps or worse, crash devices.

Developer John William Archer discovered that his iPhone 12 Pro Max would automatically restart when he exited the lock screen.

Another bug was found with the new Lock and Hide an app feature, which can make applications ‘invisible’ or only accessible via Face ID authentication.

Archer said he couldn’t open an app after locking or hiding it.

The feature is designed to keep certain apps, such as banking, hidden from the home screen or to prevent children from purchasing items on Amazon without parental consent.

However, users call it “a cheater’s paradise” because unfaithful partners can hide their dating, social media, texting and photo apps from others.

An Apple enthusiast who goes by the name Jaden discovered what he called “a major bug”: none of his photos or videos were saved to the photos app.

“Man, this is not a good start,” the tech expert shared on X.

Another user said the problem with iOS 18 is that the update drains their iPhone 15 Pro Max “like crazy.”

In addition to new features, Apple also announced the new ‘Apple Intelligence’ powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

During the unveiling, 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 a user’s personal context to deliver truly useful intelligence,” Cook said.

ChatGPT will be integrated with Siri, Apple’s built-in virtual assistant.

With better “language understanding capabilities” powered by ChatGPT, Siri will assist you in multiple apps and “speed up everyday tasks,” Apple said.

You can press and hold the side button to activate Siri in the normal way, but with ChatGPT behind it, Siri can “answer thousands of questions about how to do something,” which wasn’t possible 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 whether it was mentioned in a text message or email.

Or you can ask, “When does Mom’s flight land?” and Siri will find the flight details and compare it to real-time flight tracking to provide an arrival time.

Apple insists that private user information and their queries are not recorded or stored by Siri, unlike the normal version of ChatGPT.

The partnership enables AI-generated emojis, allowing users to type a short prompt into the iMessage app for a unique emoji, after which the system will deliver the icon as requested.

And the technology has enabled a new Clean Up tool for the Photos app, which makes extremely clean edits to photos – without any signs that the module has been tampered with in any way.