Apple releases iOS 18.1 developer beta with first iPhone features powered by ‘Apple Intelligence’

Apple just released beta versions of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 to developers, giving users the first set of AI features developed by the company.

Some of the Apple Intelligence features coming in the beta include Siri with an improved look and feel and the ability to maintain context for multiple requests, up-to-date Mail features like clever replies and email summaries, natural language search in Photos, and other improvements, According to 9to5Mac. Bloomberg reported that Apple will likely implement some Apple Intelligence features, such as a larger overhaul of the Siri AI, at a later date of 2025.

To install these updates, you’ll need an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, or in the case of iPads and Macs, an Apple Silicon-based system. Once installed, users will need to join the waiting list from their device’s Settings menu and wait for a notification that it’s ready to be accessed, as seen in this screenshot from @iSWUpdates on X.

At the same time as the first 18.1 announcements were released on Monday, 9to5Mac reports Apple too released The second public beta of iOS 18 with some of the features available in the recent developer beta, such as RCS support on more carriers, a up-to-date set of CarPlay wallpapers, and the ability to apply obscure mode widgets in lightweight mode.

Apple doesn’t typically release betas for software updates before the initial public release, which is expected to accompany the iPhone 16 launch this fall. But splitting the AI ​​updates into the 18.1 update and starting to test them with developers now could facilitate the company iron out bugs and test features before they become widely available, without any potential impact to the launch of phones and tablets when they start shipping with iOS and iPadOS 18.