Apple plans to dominate the mobile industry, as they always have, with their latest beta release solidifying its future with artificial intelligence. The new iOS 18.1 beta provides an early set of AI-based features and related updates that will be expanded over time.
The new iOS 18.1 beta includes call recording and transcription, while macOS Sonoma 14.6 that was released to all users this week rolls out previously promised support for dual external displays on the 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro.
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iOS 18.1 Beta’s Apple Intelligence Features
The first features are now available in the new iOS 18.1 developer beta which was released earlier last week. However, the beta and its features are only limited to the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, and devices with Silicon chip. With Apple Intelligence being the main improvement on the previous versions of iOS. The revealed features include:
- A new Siri look that makes the edge of the phone glow
- Other Siri improvements, such as the ability to understand commands when the speaker stumbles over their words
- Siri can now answer troubleshooting questions about Apple products
- The Photos app benefits from a natural language search feature, enabling users to find specific images or moments more intuitively. Memory Movie creation allows for the easy compilation of thematic slideshows, complete with music and customisable scenes
- Mail improvements include the ability to summarise emails and prioritise time-sensitive messages, ensuring users can quickly identify important information. Smart Reply options offer quick responses based on email content, while the Lock Screen now consolidates multiple notifications.
- Writing Tools, Apple’s text-generation service, which provides proofreading, grammar checks, and tone adjustments, with options for creating summaries and lists across various apps
- Phone call recording, notifying all participants and storing the recordings in the Notes app, complete with transcripts.
- Safari gains the ability to summarise articles in Reader Mode, while users can access an Apple Intelligence Report in the Settings app, ensuring transparency in data usage.
- Apple Intelligence introduces transcription features in Notes and other apps, allowing users to convert audio recordings into text with accompanying summaries, making it ideal for lectures and meetings. The Focus Modes now include a “Reduce Interruptions” setting, leveraging AI to filter non-essential notifications.
Other Expected Features
However, during the Apple WWDC 2024 event, some other features which were announced, but were not included in the beta version of the iOS 18.1, include:
- Genmoji and Image Playground: Genmoji lets you create AI emoji-like images of anyone in your photo library — or just custom emoji
- ChatGPT Integration
- AI photo editing
- Image Wand, the feature that inserts images into your Notes based on context, is also based on Image Playground so it won’t be available until Image Playground is added to the beta.
- And other Siri capabilities like the ability to do more in apps and on-screen awareness.
These and many more exciting features will be included into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, watchOS 11, and tvOS 18; and visionOS 2, which brings powerful new ways to interact with Apple Vision Pro. New capabilities will be rolled out over time, with Apple making regular updates.
What To Look Forward To
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 around September – October. It is obvious that they are moving to join the revolutionized trend of artificial intelligence, which appears to be the bedrock of digital technology and integration in the coming days. We wait to see everything Apple has in store for us with the iPhone 16 series, which would be cover later, and other products.