Apple releases iOS 18.1 beta to developers with iPhone’s first ‘Apple Intelligence’ features

Apple has just released developer betas for iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1, giving users access to the company’s first set of AI features.

Some of the Apple Intelligence features arriving with the beta include Siri with an updated design and ability to maintain context across multiple requests, new Mail features like smart reply and email summaries, natural language search in Photos, and other adjustments, according to 9to5Mac. Bloomberg reported that Apple will likely release some Apple Intelligence features, such as Siri’s major AI overhaul, later, by 2025.

To install these updates, you’ll need an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max or, for iPads and Macs, a system with an Apple Silicon chip. Once installed, users will have to join a waitlist in the device’s Settings menu and wait for a notification that it’s ready for access, as seen in this screenshot from @iSWAupdates on X.

At the same time as the first previews of 18.1 were released on Monday, 9to5Mac reports Apple too released a second public beta for iOS 18, with some of the features seen in a recent developer beta, like RCS support on more carriers, a new set of CarPlay wallpapers, and the ability to use dark mode widgets in light mode.

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