Apple iOS 18.1 Beta previews Apple Intelligence for the first time

Apple has released the iOS 18.1 Beta to developers, allowing them to test some of its upcoming AI-powered Apple Intelligence features before they are released for testing in the public previews.

Apple Intelligence was first unveiled at the company's 2024 Worldwide Developer Conference, revealing Apple's AI strategy for upcoming devices.

The new AI platform introduces a wide range of AI-powered features to iOS and macOS devices, including image generation, writing assistance, improved search in Photos, Siri enhancement, and ChatGPT integration.

The feature was expected to be released with iOS 18 on compatible devices, but Bloomberg reported over the weekend that it would not be included in the initial release.

iOS beta previews Apple Intelligence

Today, Apple released the iOS 18.1 Beta preview to those with active developer accounts, allowing them to sign up to test Apple Intelligence for the first time.

"iOS 18.1 beta is an early preview of an update to iOS 18 that will be available later this fall. This beta introduces an initial set of features powered by Apple Intelligence," reads iOS 18.1 beta release notes seen by BleepingComputer.

"To try the Apple Intelligence beta, join the waitlist in Settings and you will be notified as soon as it is ready for your devices. Both devices language and Siri language must be set to US English, and the device region must be set to United States."

"Apple Intelligence is available on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Apple Intelligence is not currently available in the EU or China."

While the release notes do not state that Apple Intelligence features are available, 9to5Mac reports that it includes the following features:

• Writing Tools: This is a new AI-powered feature that can proofread your text, rewrite it to provide different versions, and summarize existing text.
• New Siri features: Siri will get additional features, including hundreds of new actions that can be taken on your behalf, a better understanding of language, and the ability to switch between text and voice when interacting with the AI assistant.
• New Mail features: The Priority Messages feature will display the most important/urgent emails at the top of the app, such as a boarding pass for an upcoming flight or emails about a contact that needs immediate attention. Apple Intelligence can also summarize emails for you and create AI-generated replies that even answer questions in an email.

  

• Reduce Interruptions: A new Focus feature that only displays notifications that are considered urgent, such as receiving a text about an emergency or other required, but not necessarily, planned activity.
• New Photos features: Enhanced search for photos and videos and the ability to create a photo story based on an inputted description.
• Transcriptions: The ability to record, transcribe, and summarize audio.

9to5 reports that other features, such as Image Playground, Genmoji, Priority Notifications, enhanced on-screen awareness for Siri, and ChatGPT integration, are not included in this beta.

To access the iOS 18.1 beta and Apple Intelligence, users must have an active paid developer account and sign up for the AI feature in the iOS settings.