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

Apple has just released the 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 tweaks, according to 9to5Mac. Bloomberg reported that Apple will likely roll out some Apple Intelligence features, like Siri’s larger AI overhaul, later, running well into 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 they’re installed, users will have to join a waitlist from the Settings menu of their device and wait for a notification that it’s ready for them to access, as seen in this screenshot from @iSWUpdates on X.

At the same time that the first 18.1 previews came out on Monday, 9to5Mac reports Apple also 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 while in light mode.

Apple first announced the AI features coming to the iPhone, iPad, and Mac during its Worldwide Developers Conference in June. It released the public iOS 18 beta on July 15th.

Apple hasn’t typically released the betas for follow-up software updates before the public launch of the initial version, which should 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 quash bugs and test features before they become widely available, without any potential to impact the launch of phones and tablets as they start to ship with iOS and iPadOS 18.