iOS18 is almost ready for release. But Apple is already hard at work on its next big point release: iOS 18.1.

After releasing the first beta of iOS 18.1 in late July, Apple is now releasing its third beta with some new features and changes. Read all about it below.

The main highlight of iOS 18.1 is the Integration of Apple Intelligence. Apple’s AI efforts stole the spotlight at WWDC24but these features are not found in the betas of iOS 18. That’s because Apple Intelligence will not arrive with the release of iOS 18 in September this year. Instead, it will arrive with iOS 18.1 in October.

iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 Beta: Compatible devices

In contrast to iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 Betas available to all public beta testers, iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 betas are only available to Apple Intelligence compatible devices. This means you can only try the iOS 18.1 beta if you own an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max.

For iPadOS 18.1, you must have an iPad with an M1 chip or later. For Macs, the macOS Sequoia 15.1 beta is available for computers with Apple silicon chips.

Please note that after installing the iOS 18.1 or iPadOS 18.1 beta on your device, you cannot return to the regular iOS 18 beta channel.

iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 Beta 3: What’s new and what has changed?

Clean up

The third beta of iOS 18.1 introduces a new Apple Intelligence feature “Clean Up” in the Photos app. Similar to Google’s Magic Eraser, Clean Up lets you remove unwanted distractions and objects from images. The feature uses machine learning to detect such elements in an image during editing. You can use Clean Up on any image in the Photos app; it’s not limited to images taken with an iPhone.

Here’s an example of “cleaning up” where people are removed from the background and a wall is repaired.

Not bad.

(iOS 18.1 Beta 3) pic.twitter.com/vi0mPG1jGZ

— Brandon Butch (@BrandonButch) 28 August 2024

Because this feature is part of Apple Intelligence, it will not be available on older models or iPhones in the EU.

Easily activate Apple Intelligence

Apple is making it a little easier to enable Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.1 beta 3. You now just need to set Siri to US English. 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 AI features.

Notification summaries are extended to third-party apps

iOS 18.1 beta 3 extends AI-powered notification summaries to all apps on your iPhone. In previous beta versions, only the Messages and Mail apps could use this feature. You can manually control summaries for third-party apps from Settings > Notifications > Summarize Preview.

iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 Beta 1

Apple Intelligence

The first beta of iOS 18.1 brings Apple Intelligence to beta testers. However, after installing the beta, you won’t be able to play around with all of the new AI features. There is a waitlist that you have to join through the Settings app. However, most people report getting 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 be given the opportunity to join the Apple Intelligence waitlist.

Once Apple approves your Apple ID to access Apple Intelligence, your iPhone will download the necessary files in the background. Make sure your phone is connected to Wi-Fi, otherwise the download won’t begin.

Apple has not included all of the Apple Intelligence features it introduced at WWDC24 in iOS 18.1 Beta 1. The following features are currently available:

• Writing tools: In iOS 18.1, you can use the writing tools in any text field to proofread, rewrite, summarize, or change the tone of your text.
• Redesigned Siri: The redesigned Siri with the new glowing UI is available as part of the iOS 18.1 beta. It also lets you text Siri something instead of always using your voice. Apple’s digital assistant is also smarter than before and can help you with device-related questions. 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 are not expected until 2025.
• Smarter mail app: The new Mail app in iOS 18.1 uses on-device AI to automatically show important emails at the top of your inbox. It also shows a summary of the emails in your inbox so you can quickly check them.
• Reduce interruptions: iOS 18.1 beta 1 introduces a new Focus mode to reduce interruptions, which silences all unwanted notifications. Your phone will only ring for notifications that the AI ​​​​deems necessary.
• Smart reply in messages: The Messages app can analyze incoming text messages and show suggested replies. It also groups multiple messages together on the lock screen so you can quickly scroll 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 can also create a memory movie with a simple text input.
• Transcriptions in notes: The Notes app in iOS 18.1 beta can create transcripts of recorded audio files. It also creates a transcript summary so you can quickly review the recorded content.

Once you have iOS 18.1 installed and have access to Apple Intelligence, you can experiment with all of the AI ​​features mentioned above. Since this is only the first beta, you may encounter some bugs and issues, but Apple should fix them in future builds.

As mentioned above, iOS 18.1 Beta 1 lacks many of the Apple Intelligence features promised at WWDC24. These include ChatGPT integrationPriority notifications, picture playground, Genmoji and on-screen awareness and in-app actions for Siri. These features could be introduced in future beta versions of iOS 18.1 or in later operating system versions.

Apple Intelligence Report

With a new feature called Apple Intelligence Report, Apple is trying to provide transparency into how its AI capabilities work. This tool lets you create a list of your AI queries and Apple Intelligence’s responses. But don’t expect a fancy, easy-to-read report. The Apple Intelligence Report consists of a JSON file with data that is best interpreted by experts or machines. To create an Apple Intelligence Report, navigate to Settings > Privacy and security on your iPhone with the beta version of iOS 18.1.

Call recording in the phone app

iOS 18.1 beta 1 adds support for call recording to the Phone app. The record button appears on the phone call screen as a red dot in the upper left corner of the display. When you start a call recording, the other party is notified.

The Notes app stores all recorded calls and also allows you to create a transcript for them.

Apple should introduce more changes in the future with iOS 18.1 beta 2 and could expand availability to other devices (without the Apple Intelligence features, which only run on iPhone 15 Pro/Max and iPads or Macs with Apple’s M-series chips). For now, if you spot any other changes in iOS 18.1 beta 1, leave a comment and let us know.