Apple has released the first beta version of iOS 18.1 for developers — it is available only for iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max and includes the first set of Apple Intelligence artificial intelligence features: writing and editing text, advanced email tools, new Photos capabilities, and much more.
The first beta version of iOS 18.1 is available only to registered developers, and the release date for the public version has not yet been announced; and it can be installed on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max — these are the only phones that currently support Apple Intelligence. iPad iPadOS 18.1 has also been released — exclusively for iPad models with the M1 chip and later.
After updating to iOS 18.1, the user gets the opportunity to request access to Apple Intelligence by joining the waiting list in Settings — as soon as access is open, a notification will be sent. Not all AI functions work yet, but the list of available ones is quite extensive.
New Features and Capabilities
Writing Tools: AI can rewrite, edit, and summarize text in almost any app that works with text. When Siri is running, the edges of the screen light up; you can switch between voice and text interactions with the AI; the assistant can now give a hint on how to use the device in any app and answer any question on how to do something on iPhone, iPad, and Mac; it also supports preserving context across multiple queries.
A new section has appeared at the top of the Mail app – this is where the most urgent messages, such as today’s invitations or boarding passes, go. Instead of previewing the first lines of each message in the list, you can request a summary of them without opening the entire message. The Smart Reply feature suggests quick responses and marks all questions in the incoming message, helping you not to miss any. The Focus feature has been updated to show only notifications that require immediate attention.
The Photos app has received new features. You can use natural language to search for a photo, and when searching for a video, you can immediately jump to the desired fragment. You can also create a whole story from photos and videos by describing it to the system: Apple Intelligence will select the best materials based on this description and organize them into a coherent film. Finally, summaries of text transcripts are supported.
Future Updates and Availability
Many Apple Intelligence features are still unavailable: Image Playground, Genmoji for creating images and emoticons, respectively; notification priority function, Siri smart functions, and ChatGPT integration. We’ll keep you updated on the progress of these features and their eventual release.
As this is a beta release, users should expect some features to be refined or expanded in future updates. Apple is likely to gather feedback from developers to improve the functionality and user experience of Apple Intelligence before its public release, notes NIX Solutions.
Remember that this beta version is currently limited to iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models, as well as iPads with M1 chips or later. The wider availability of these AI features across other Apple devices remains to be seen in future updates.