Apple Intelligence stuck on "Preparing" status for more than 10 hours

I changed the Siri language to English(UK) and then changed back, and it works!!!

My iPhone 16 pro has been stuck at the preparing for more than 3 days and I even doubt that is because the Chinese network.

But, finally, it just stuck at somewhere.

I have had the same problem and I’ve tried the same solves to no avail. I am based in the UK, I have made sure I have changed everything on the iPad, In this instance, to the US - still no different Then I tried to change all my devices, phone and everything to US and the download commenced. Fingers crossed it will work. Hope this helps.

~ update finished download and works

日宁 wrote:

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/3cb49a31-60ae-4019-afe5-0836400883e3

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/f25d5290-f339-4e7a-92ba-34d70ce15104

I am always in a loop with these two tabs. When i tap Get Apple Intelligence, the Set up Now pop out. Then i tap set up now. Then no reaction…

• Where are you located?
• What model is your phone (Settings > General > About > Model - note: if it ends in CH/A, it was made for the China market and Apple Intelligence won't work on a made for China iPhone, regardless of where you live until it is approved to be used in China)
• Have you set the language and Siri language to a supported language, per this link --> How to get Apple Intelligence - Apple Support (CA)

Hello,

After testing my Mac for approximately three hours while it was set to “preparing,” I have decided to restart it to ensure that any necessary prerequisite packages are loaded and to reset my internet connection.

A few minutes later, I received an Apple ID activation request and was able to turn it on.

Please try restarting your Mac or iPad and let us know if this solution works for you.

[Edited by Moderator]

Since posting yesterday I have rebooted multiple times, turned Siri on and off, change regions, etc. This morning after rebooting a couple of times, I turned Siri on and off several times, changed the language to English UK, and then back again, and the notification popped up that it was "Ready". Obviously if this a bug it will depend on your machine, and any number of things to determine what might work for you. I would imagine a small update will be coming soon to address this for everyone. I hope this helps. Thanks

Kalifa2134. Change your language in Siri to English(New Zealand) and then once it settles down, change it to English (United States). I think preparing status will go away and you will have AI active.

If it’s not fully downloaded, then wait until it is.

Listen, the download is restricted to a WiFi connection, that much is clear.

If your connection is poor, then restart the device or network.

Also (as others have pointed out), be sure that the region is set to the United States and language is set to English U.S.

Based on another person's recommended solution, I was able to fix the problem by fully resetting the device. It appears that the problem was caused by a software update being applied while intelligence was still getting set up.

Almost 9 hours it was stuck in preparing. I rebooted the phone and connected with WiFi, now downloading started

This actually worked. I tried all of the suggestions and switching the language worked. I have the 16 pro max too

My Apple Intelligence on two of my 'Mac's was stuck in the “preparing” phase for the last two weeks. Tried all the suggestions posted here, none of them worked for me. I contacted Apple Care, but they had no clue why this was happening.

I decided to take a full Time Machine backup, then factory reset my Mac, and restored it from the backup. And voila, within five minutes, I got a prompt to activate my Apple Intelligence—now it’s activated.

I repeated the same with my second device, and it worked this time too.

If your Apple Intelligence is stuck on the "Preparing" status for more than 10 hours, it may indicate an issue with the system's update or synchronization process. This can sometimes happen if there is a problem with your internet connection, a large data load, or a temporary glitch in Apple's servers. To resolve the issue, try restarting your device, ensuring a stable and fast internet connection, and checking for any software updates. If the problem persists, you may want to contact Apple Support or visit an Apple Store for further assistance.

I found a solution that worked for me after being stuck for a month on preparing. I went to WIFI settings and turned off Private Wi-Fi address, after 30 sec apple intelligence started to work. Hope this helps

I did same and then back to US English and it immediately activated.

Thanks! Changing the language to Chinese and then back to US English worked for me too!