iOS 18.1 Public Beta Brings Apple Intelligence to More People

Apple has released the first public beta of iOS 18.1, making Apple Intelligence available to non-developers for the first time.

The test version includes some of the generative AI features Apple has touted since WWDC in June. It can summarize notifications, phone call transcriptions, and writing. Clean Up helps you remove objects in photos similar to Google’s Magic Eraser, while email lets you prioritize messages and produce smart replies. You can also rewrite and proofread text.

Siri now has a different look and will let you type requests instead of speaking them. It can also recognize commands that aren’t perfectly spoken, such as those with “ums” or even mid-sentence corrections.

Some of the tentpole features of Apple Intelligence aren’t available in the iOS 18.1 public beta, however. Siri doesn’t yet understand personal context. You also can’t generate images, including Genmoji. ChatGPT has to wait as well.

The beta currently requires an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max. However, the iPhone 16 series should support it when the devices launch tomorrow.

The finished release of iOS 18.1 is due in October. The remaining features are expected to roll out in the months ahead. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman recently claimed that image generation will arrive with iOS 18.2 in December, just as Apple Intelligence reaches more countries.

Apple Intelligence has been present in developer betas for a while, but this is the first chance for many people to give it a try. Public betas only require a signup with the Apple Beta Software Program and choosing to receive beta updates on the iPhone itself.

The absence of Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.0 has drawn criticism. Apple is effectively launching the iPhone 16 family without its signature AI feature. For now, you’re buying on the promise that these will be great phones for AI. That potentially creates a window for the Google Pixel 9 and other phones where generative AI is already built-in.