Though Apple has marketed the iPhone 16 as the first iPhones with Apple Intelligence, we still don’t have a concrete timeline for when the full suite of AI-powered features will roll out. However, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the public will finally get to try out Apple Intelligence when iOS 18.1 exits beta at the end of October.
In his latest Power On Newsletter, Gurman said Apple pushed back its previous release window of mid-October to “ensure that major bugs are eliminated and it can support all the new traffic on its AI cloud servers” as millions of users install the update. iOS 18.1, which will go live on Monday, October 28, will bring AI-powered notification summaries, a new Clean Up tool to remove unwanted people and objects from photos, and more.
As a reminder, you’ll need one of the best iPhones to actually use these new features. Apple Intelligence is limited to the iPhone 16 series along with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. While other iOS 18-compatible phones can download updates like iOS 18.1, they won’t be able to run any Apple Intelligence features.
iOS 18.1 Apple Intelligence features
You can get an early look at Apple’s new suite of AI features by downloading the iOS 18.1 public beta on a compatible phone ahead of October 28’s full release. Here’s all the Apple Intelligence features you’ll find when you upgrade to iOS 18.1.
- Writing tools: Available in any app on your iPhone where you type, writing tools powered by Apple Intelligence help refine your text or spark ideas by checking your spelling and grammar, summarizing text, and offering rewrite suggestions tailored to a specific tone.
- Photo features: You’ll find three new improvements in the Photos app, including: Clean Up, a tool that removes unwanted people and objects from your photos; a Memory Movie feature that can create a slideshow from photos and videos in your library with just a text prompt; and the added option to search for old photos and videos using natural language.
- Summaries: iPhones that support Apple Intelligence will get the added functionality of auto-generating summaries and transcripts of recordings, whether that be from phone calls or using the new audio record capability added to iOS 18 Notes.
- Siri: Apple’s digital assistant isn’t expected to get its biggest improvements until iOS 18.4 or later, but the iOS 18.1 improvements to Siri are worth mentioning, as the update adds better support for follow-up questions and troubleshooting Apple products.
- Mail: iOS 18 is set to reorganize your Mail app later this year by categorizing your inbox into personal messages, receipts, deals, and newsletters. In the meantime, iOS 18.1 will introduce inbox message summaries and notification summaries, smart replies for quicker responses, and priority messages, which highlight important emails with calls to action.
As for the full rollout of Apple Intelligence, rumor has it we’ll likely be waiting until at least early next year before the public can get their hands on all the AI-powered features Apple has promised so far. But of course, until we get official word from Apple, this all remains conjecture for now.
