Apple continues beta testing iOS 18.1 ahead of its potential public release on October 28. Besides Apple Intelligence, iOS 18.1 will pack several other changes and improvements.
Below is everything new in the latest iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 beta 6.
iOS 18.1 will mark the debut of Apple Intelligence. Despite Apple’s AI efforts stealing the limelight at WWDC24, these features are not present in the first public release of iOS 18. Instead, they will arrive with iOS 18.1 in October.
iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 beta: Compatible Devices
Apple Intelligence is the main attraction of iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1. Initially, Apple released the beta builds of the OS only for Apple Intelligence-compatible devices. This is no longer the case, with iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 beta builds available for all devices, even if they won’t get access to the AI features
iOS 18.1 beta builds are also available for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro series.
iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 beta 6: What’s new and changed
More toggles in the Control Center
iOS 18.1 beta continues improving the Control Center, adding four new toggles, including those for AirDrop and Satellite connectivity. The other two toggles are for Measure and Level. Both will open the Measure app with the respective tool open.
Badges for grouped notifications
Grouped notifications in iOS 18.1 beta 6 display a badge for the number of unread notifications from that app. This will help you quickly determine how many unread notifications you have from an app without expanding the group notifications.
iOS 18.1 Beta 6 finally shows the notification count in a notification group. pic.twitter.com/zSRaTkqTo5
— Beta Profiles (@BetaProfiles) October 7, 2024
Apple Music gains TikTok sharing
The Apple Music app is gaining a new native TikTok sharing option. So far, Apple only offered this integration for Instagram.
Splash screens for system apps
The latest iOS 18.1 beta adds a splash screen to many system apps, like the Mail app, App Store, and Messages, highlighting all the new features added to them.
Sleep Apnea detection on Apple Watch
iOS 18.1 and watchOS 11.1 beta 6 enable sleep apnea detection on the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and newer models.
After installing the latest beta, you must enable the Breathing Disturbances option from the Health app to get sleep apnea alerts. The notification will only appear after your Apple Watch collects 10 days of data, with the analysis performed every 30 days.
iOS 18.1 Beta 6 adds Sleep Apnea Notifications for Apple Watch. pic.twitter.com/DSE4hEdzau
— Beta Profiles (@BetaProfiles) October 7, 2024
Better Dual SIM support in the Phone app
The Phone app in iOS 18.1 beta 6 shows a Voice Line label, which you can tap to easily switch to another line before making a call.
New Dynamic Island animation
iOS 18.1 beta 6 introduces a new animation for the green and orange dots in Dynamic Island, which appear when the camera is in use.
The green dot and orange dot in Dynamic Island have a new animation in iOS 18.1 Beta 6. pic.twitter.com/God7uupwB4
— Beta Profiles (@BetaProfiles) October 7, 2024
iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 beta 5: What’s new and changed
New connectivity toggles in the Control Center
Screenshot: Rajesh Pandey
iOS 18.1 beta 5 introduces new connectivity toggles for Wi-Fi and VPN. You can replace the Connectivity box with the new buttons for a cleaner look.
Reset Control Center
Screenshot: Rajesh Pandey
The latest iOS 18.1 beta adds a new option to reset the Control Center to its stock layout. You can find this option under Settings > Control Center. If you mess up the Control Center while customizing it, this option will allow you to reset it to its stock state.
RCS expands to more countries
iOS 18.1 beta 5 expands RCS support in the Messages app to more carriers worldwide, including Telenet, Proximus, and BASE in Belgium. In the US, MVNOs like TracFone and C Spire are gaining RCS support on iPhones.
Selfie option for Camera Control on iPhone 16
iOS 18.1 beta 5 allows you to use the Camera Control button to switch to the front camera on the iPhone 16. After opening the Camera app, lightly tap the Camera Button twice and swipe to select the front camera option.
iPhone Mirroring gains drag-and-drop support
iPhone Mirroring is one of the best features of macOS Sequoia, mirroring your iPhone’s display to your Mac wirelessly. iOS 18.1 will further improve this feature by allowing you to seamlessly transfer files from your Mac to your iPhone with a drag and drop (and vice versa).
Drag and Drop in iPhone Mirroring now works with macOS 15.1 Beta 5 and iOS 18.1 Beta 5. pic.twitter.com/uiJL1IQOuI
— Beta Profiles (@BetaProfiles) September 23, 2024
You can find an archive of all changes in previous iOS 18.1 beta builds below.
iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 beta 3: What’s new and changed
Clean Up
The third iOS 18.1 beta introduces a new ‘Clean Up’ Apple Intelligence feature in the Photos app. Similar to Google’s Magic Eraser, Clean Up allows you to remove unwanted distractions and objects from pictures. The feature uses machine learning to detect such items in a picture while editing. You can use Clean Up on any image in the Photos app; it is not limited to pictures taken from an iPhone.
Here’s an example of “Clean Up” removing people from the background & repairing a wall.
Not bad.
(iOS 18.1 Beta 3) pic.twitter.com/vi0mPG1jGZ
— Brandon Butch (@BrandonButch) August 28, 2024
Since this feature is part of Apple Intelligence, it will not come to older models or iPhones in the EU.
Easily enable Apple Intelligence
Apple is making it slightly easier to enable Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.1 beta 3. You now only need to set Siri to US English language. Previously, you also had to set the device region to the United States to enable Apple Intelligence.
If you live outside the US and have an Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhone or iPad, this change makes it easier to enable the AI suite of features.
Notification summaries expands to third-party apps
iOS 18.1 beta 3 expands AI-powered Notification summaries to all apps on your iPhone. In previous beta builds, only the Messages and Mail app could take advantage of this feature. You can manually control summaries for third-party apps from Settings > Notifications > Summarize Previews.
iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 beta 1
Apple Intelligence
The first iOS 18.1 beta brings Apple Intelligence to beta testers. But you won’t be able to play around with all the new AI features after installing the beta. There’s a waitlist, which you must join through the Settings app. However, most people report gaining access to the AI features within a few hours of joining the waitlist.
Remember that even if you install iOS 18.1 on your iPhone 15 Pro or M1+ iPad Pro/Air, the device language must be set to English and region to the United States (See above). Otherwise, you will not get the option to join the Apple Intelligence waitlist.
Once Apple approves your Apple ID for Apple Intelligence access, your iPhone will download the necessary files in the background. Ensure your phone is connected to Wi-Fi for this, as the download won’t begin otherwise.
Photo: Apple
Apple did not include all the Apple Intelligence features that it showcased at WWDC24 in iOS 18.1 beta 1. The following features are currently available:
- Writing Tools: In iOS 18.1, you can use Writing Tools in any text box to proofread, rewrite, summarize or change the tone or your writing.
- Revamped Siri: The redesigned Siri with the new glowing user interface is available as part of the iOS 18.1 beta. Plus, you can type to Siri instead of always using your voice. Apple’s digital assistant is also smarter than before and can help you with device-related queries. The new Siri UI also extends to CarPlay. However, not all the changes to Siri that Apple promised at WWDC24 are part of iOS 18.1 beta 1. Some aren’t expected until 2025.
- Smarter Mail app: The new Mail app in iOS 18.1 will use on-device AI to surface important emails to the top of your inbox automatically. It also will show a summary of the emails in your inbox so you can quickly review them.
- Reduce Interruptions: iOS 18.1 beta 1 introduces a new Reduce Interruptions Focus mode that will silence all unwanted notifications. Your phone will only buzz for notifications deemed necessary by the AI.
- Smart Reply in Messages: The Messages app can analyze incoming text messages and show suggestions for replying. Also, multiple messages are summarized on the Lock Screen, so you can quickly go through them.
- Photos: The Photos app in iOS 18.1 beta 1 supports natural-language search and can even search for moments in videos. It also can create a Memory Movie with a simple text input.
- Transcriptions in Notes: The Notes app in the iOS 18.1 beta can generate transcripts of recorded audio files. A transcript summary is also generated, so you can quickly review the recorded content.
Once you install iOS 18.1 and gain access to Apple Intelligence, you can play with all the AI features mentioned above. Since this is just the first beta, you might encounter some bugs and issues, but Apple should address them in future builds.
As mentioned, many Apple Intelligence features promised at WWDC24 remain missing in iOS 18.1 beta 1. These include ChatGPT integration, Priority Notifications, Image Playground, Genmoji and on-screen awareness and in-app actions for Siri. These features could debut in future iOS 18.1 beta builds or with later OS releases.
Apple Intelligence Report
With a new feature called the Apple Intelligence Report, Apple takes a stab at transparency about how its AI features work. Using this tool, you can generate a list of your AI queries and Apple Intelligence’s responses. Don’t expect a fancy, easy-to-read report, though. The Apple Intelligence Report consists of a .json file loaded with data best interpreted by experts or machines. To generate an Apple Intelligence report, navigate to Settings > Privacy & Security on your iPhone running the iOS 18.1 beta.
Call Recording in the Phone app
iOS 18.1 beta 1 adds call recording support to the Phone app. The record button will appear on the phone call screen as a red dot on the top-left corner of the display. When you start a call recording, the other party will be informed about it.
The Notes app will store all recorded calls, and you can also generate a transcript for them.
Found any other changes in the latest iOS 18.1 or iPadOS 18.1 beta? Drop a comment and let us know about them.
