iOS 18 is still in the middle of its beta cycle. However, Apple decided to seed iOS 18.1 beta so developers could start testing the upcoming Apple Intelligence platform.
Even so, there are a few requirements for developers to try iOS 18.1, such as having devices compatible with Apple Intelligence. The compatible devices are iPhone 15 Pro, M1 iPad, and M1 Mac, or newer.
In this article, we’ll share what’s changing with every iOS 18.1 beta.
iOS 18.1 beta 1 features
Writing Tools: Proofread your text, rewrite different versions until the tone and wording are right, and summarize selected text with a tap.
Improved Siri: With a new design, Siri can maintain context between requests. Even if you stumble over words or shift what you’re saying mid-sentence, Siri can understand what you actually want.
Priority notifications: They appear at the top of the stack, letting you know what to pay attention to at a glance. Notifications are summarized, so you can scan them faster.
Priority messages in Mail: Elevate time-sensitive messages to the top of your inbox, like an invitation that has a deadline today or a check-in reminder for your flight this afternoon.
Email summarization: Tap to reveal a summary of a long email in the Mail app and cut to the chase.
Record and transcribe calls in the Notes app: Just hit record in the Notes or Phone apps to capture audio recordings and transcripts. Apple Intelligence generates summaries of your transcripts, so you can get to the most important information at a glance.
Reduce interruptions: With iOS 18.1 beta 1, an all-new Focus Mode understands the content of your notifications and shows you the ones that might need immediate attention, like a text about picking up your child from daycare later today.
Smart Reply in Mail: Quickly draft an email response with all the right details. Apple Intelligence can identify the question you were asked in an email and offer relevant selections to include in your response.
iOS 18.1 beta 2 features
A couple of weeks after seeding iOS 18.1 beta 1, Apple seeded beta 2. Although it doesn’t bring new Apple Intelligence features, Apple adds tweaks from the iOS 18 beta 5 and 6:
Photos app: Apple has removed the Carousel from the Photos app. The company has also tweaked the “All Photos” section, with more images appearing on the photos grid. The “Recent Days” tab also includes “Recently Saved.”
Distraction Control: Safari gets a new Distraction Control feature. In the Reader toggle, you can find a new “Hide Distracting Items.” Apple says this doesn’t work as an ad blocker, but it helps hide distractful items from a page.
Control Center: Apple added new toggles to the Control Center, including an exclusive Bluetooth icon and a new Capture section.
Apple Music changes: The Browse tab is now called “New.”
Wrap up
This is everything new coming to the iOS 18.1 beta so far. BGR will keep following this testing cycle, and we’ll update this article as we learn more about new Apple Intelligence features, including how to test them already.