Today, Apple launched new beta versions of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 for developers, introducing the first Apple Intelligence features. Apple Intelligence, previewed in June, is Apple’s take on artificial intelligence. While not all Apple Intelligence features are active yet, here’s what’s available in the beta. Right now, iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15 are scheduled to the released to developers only with a public beta later this fall. Apple is continuing to refine and debug Apple Intelligence, with more enhancements slated for later this year.
More About the Apple Intelligence Features in the iOS 18.1
The Writing Tools feature has a free proofreading content tool you can to check the spelling, grammar, and word choice of what you are writing in real time. It will rewrite the same text to make it more friendly, professional, or concise in tone without changing content. It also supports creating summaries of the highlighted text, lists, or tables and works in Mail, Messages, and more.
In the updated Siri, for example, a glow around the display edges appears when you activate it (which animates with the user’s voice). Type to Siri, on the other hand, offers text entry for commands with suggestions that appear above your keyboard to help you get fires faster (you double-tap the bottom near the edge of the display or tap Command space twice on Mac). This means you can ask a question and then follow up with further questions or even change the nature of your query mid-sentence, with Siri able to maintain this context for some types of commands to provide answers about device features.
Mail has a new button for collapsing emails and showing shorter summaries in the inbox list. Major emails are on the highest layer of the inbox. Quick-tap responses based on email content for Smart Reply are supported, as is a new Lock Screen feature that summarizes multiple email notifications. Smart Reply in messages with suggested responses for incoming texts, plus an option to have multiple message notifications condensed down to just the relevant ones on your Lock Screen.
The Photos app features a Memory Movies option, creating slide shows from descriptions, with ambient found music automatically selected for content via its Remix 3 feature accompanied by the ability to make use of custom background music using one’s own songs. Users can search for photos with descriptions, and video clips using natural language searches of videos to find times later. IntelliJ IDEA even provides Smart Complete to help you find a result.
In Notes and different apps, customers can document audio which will get transcribed into textual content for non-live shorthand that may be useful throughout lectures or presentations with one faucet. Focus Modes include a new Reduce Interruptions mode which will only show important notifications. The Intelligent Breakthrough and Silencing option provides a way to filter out all other notifications so that the most important ones come through.
In the Phone app, users can record calls simply by tapping a button that tells everyone on the line they are being recorded. The Notes app holds audio recordings and text transcripts. Reader Mode with Apple Intelligence gives Safari article summaries.
Users can export their Apple Intelligence data using an Apple Intelligence Report in the Privacy and Security section of the Settings app with Face ID authentication. However, Developers must enroll in the waitlist for Apple Intelligence from the Settings app. That enables a professional and seamless download and activation process often completed within days.
Please note that iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia beta versions of both are only for registered developers using compatible devices such as the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, all Apple silicon iPads, and all Apple silicon Macs. Apple Intelligence is currently available only in U.S. English and not accessible to developers in the EU or China. It will not be part of the initial iOS 18 release in September but will be introduced in the iOS 18.1 update a few weeks later.
FAQs
What is Apple Intelligence?
Apple Intelligence is Apple’s version of artificial intelligence, offering features like advanced writing tools, contextual Siri responses, and smart summarization in various apps.
When will Apple Intelligence be available to the public?
Apple Intelligence will be introduced in the iOS 18.1 update, expected to be released a few weeks after the initial iOS 18 launch in September.
