Apple Intelligence’s Siri animation on an iPhone
Apple has released iOS 18.1, the first major update to iOS 18 that includes the first wave of Apple Intelligence features usable by the public.
The initial release of iOS 18 took place on September 16, but it lacked Apple’s headline feature, Apple Intelligence. With the just-released update to iOS 18.1, some of the functionality is finally becoming available to use.
Apple has been beta-testing Apple Intelligence’s tools since not long after the first beta of iOS 18. Since the start of the betas, including the eventual public betas, Apple has included some of the features, and gradually added more over time.
With the public release, this marks the first time that Apple Intelligence has left beta and is now usable by the general public.
The initial features to surface in the betas included writing tools, which could proofread text, summarize it, and even rewrite it in a different style. At the same time, Apple introduced a new Siri animation, as well as Type to Siri and built-in product knowledge so users could ask Siri for help.
The third beta added in Clean Up for Photos, which used generative AI to make changes to a user’s photographs without any major manual effort required.
Other Apple Intelligence features are still in development. This list includes Image Playground graphic generation from prompts, as well as ChatGPT support with Siri.
Outside of Apple Intelligence, there are some changes made to the operating system usable by others. This includes a new Camera Control option for the iPhone 16 that lets users switch to the front camera.
Control Center gains new toggles for connectivity and a reset layout button. Users of iPhone Mirroring can also drag and drop files from their Mac onto their iPhone and vice versa.
iOS 18.1: Compatibility and Installation
The release of iOS 18.1 will work on iPhone models that support iOS 18. This includes iPhones from the iPhone XS and iPhone XR to the present iPhone 16 releases, as well as the second-gen iPhone SE or later models.
Apple Intelligence requires an iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro, or the iPhone 15 Pro lines, in order to function. Other models will benefit from all other non-Apple Intelligence features.
To install iOS 18.1 on an iPhone, open the Settings app, select General, then Software Update. With beta updates turned off, the final release version will appear unless it has already been installed.
Owners of the iPhone 16 generation won’t need to update, as iOS 18.1 will be preinstalled.
