And should not be that "aggressively" blocked if you are traveling through the EU and you are with a UK-bought device, with a UK sim, UK number etc.
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iOS 18.1 region limitation loophole
- Thread starter gusnyc
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I've read that we have to connect to a AP with VPN (for example, a computer) , not with VPN on device. I tried this morning with my iPhone 15 Pro but I didn't restart it.
But I think that AI in this beta is only for 15 Pro.
Set your region to US. Download the IPSW from Apple. Plug your iPad in and update from a computer to 18.1 again. Should work.
Will try that now on my iPad Pro M1 and if it works, also on my iPhone 15 Pro. Will report back with info...
Not working for me, did exactly the same. Well I have an Asus Router and activated there VPN for my iPad…but nothing.
In the UK all you need to do is change your region and language to US English and it will work.
In the EU, you will not get it even if you change your language. It just will not work.
In the EU, you will not get it even if you change your language. It just will not work.
Any luck here?
I'm testing and looking for a breakthrough but nothing yet. The only "EU thing" for me is that I'm in the EU now, nothing else and it won't work, so maybe they've only geolocated it to exclude EU and China. For the rest of the world just change to US English and voila...
And if it wasn’t a beta I don’t expect it would have been and I’d assume if you bought it in the UK and activated it in the Uk on a UK network you’d be fine as being in the EU would turn it off. But what you are trying to do like myself is activate AI while already in the EU which is the no no.
It just needs a little thought about where we are and the process.
Yepp, but didn’t work…well at least not in the EU maybe the rest of Europe like Switzerland …anyway I will keep my iPad and MacBook Pro…but will definitely switch to Samsung or Pixel for AI.
Sorry Apple…grow up and don’t punish your customers.
This is working for my iPad M4 but not for my iPhone 15 Pro Max... I am still trying to figure out. how to work around the eu block.
Im waiting for 4 Hours ar least.
For the first few iPads there were always different ispw files for the us/eu version…
Im not sure, but maybe the EU Hardware still has different Modell numbers? If so, then we can try all day but they just easily blocked the models from the EU and China.
It worked and even not with all the steps. (I'm in the EU)
On M1 iPad Pro my steps were:
- As on 17.5 switched Language, Region and Siri to US English
- Turned off Location services
- Turned off iCloud Private Relay
- Turned of Find My
- Signed out from Media & Purchases
- Disabled auto-join on known and available networks (WiFi model, no cellular connections)
And after all the above I have updated to iPadOS 18.1 Beta from Settings -> General.
After the update I was able to join waiting list once I connected to the local WiFi network (no VPN) and a few minutes later the AI was available to turn on, working as of now. I've turned on all the settings back on but kept US English as language and region.
Tried all the same steps with iPhone 15 Pro Max (both with the iPad bought from and activated in the UK) and it did NOT work.
The only difference to the iPad are the cellular networks (which I've turned completely off) and the fact that I cannot turn off Find My as Advanced data protection is on and couldn't turn off (it gives an error it could not be switched off).
They work because whoever you’re using them on uses only half measures to stop it. Apple (and the EU) know all the tricks and are determined not to let you use them. Take it up with the EU.
Hi, I am from Czechia (EU) on iPad Pro M1 and I also got an error that the Apple Intelligence is not currently availiable. I have tried switching region/language, switching Siri lanugage and voice to 1, turning off location services, turning off Find My, US VPN via NordVPN, restarting iPad several times. Unfortunately I have not switched the region before updating to the 18.1 Beta. Hopefully we will find some workaround, I haven´t tried switching my Apple ID to US yet.
Unfortunately that’s not an error. You all need to take this up with the European Commission.
Oh yes exactly what apple needs….more Users trying to protect a big company against user friendly regulations.
Apple has lawyers for that.
Instead of ensuring that big tech complies with regulations, you propose we modify regulations to align with big tech’s demands, disregarding the privacy and security of the end user. After all, big tech seems to prioritize convenience over user well-being, right?
This doesn't make any sense.
Regardless of the reasoning behind the availability of Apple Intelligence (based on ressources, EU regulations, language limitations, etc), it should at least be available for developers around the world. Otherwise, only developers in the US get to propose new features based on AI.
Even if those features and apps will only be available to the US marked at launch, developers from other regions should be able to publish apps that can be sold in the US.
Regardless of the reasoning behind the availability of Apple Intelligence (based on ressources, EU regulations, language limitations, etc), it should at least be available for developers around the world. Otherwise, only developers in the US get to propose new features based on AI.
Even if those features and apps will only be available to the US marked at launch, developers from other regions should be able to publish apps that can be sold in the US.