Apple Intelligence Now Available in iOS 18.1 – Here’s What’s New (and What’s Missing)
The time has finally come! Apple Intelligence has arrived as part of iOS 18.1. The new update for iPhone brings the first wave of Apple’s AI features to your device and is available to install now.
This update includes the first set of Apple Intelligence features, including writing tools for proofreading and rewriting, Smart Replies to quickly respond to messages, notification summaries, photo cleaning, and a new design for Siri. You can also get these experiences on an iPad or Mac thanks to iPadOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1, which also rolled out today.
Other Apple Intelligence features, such as Genmoji, Image Playground, and ChatGPT integration for Siri, will arrive in iOS 18.2 later this year. For owners of the top iPhone, the iPhone 16, Visual Intelligence using the device’s camera controls will also be made available as part of iOS 18.2.
We’ve been talking about Apple Intelligence for months, so it’s incredibly exciting to finally be able to install the official release of iOS 18.1 and get started with everything Apple’s AI-powered tools have to offer. If you’d like to learn more about Apple Intelligence and its features, check out this list of Apple Intelligence features.
Unfortunately, to use Apple Intelligence on the iPhone, you need an iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro or 16 Pro Max. That said, iOS 18.1 brings a range of other updates beyond AI. On a Mac you need an M-Series chip and on the iPad you need the A17 Pro, M1, M2 or M4 chips to get Apple Intelligence.
This launch is for Apple Intelligence in American English. If you want to try Apple Intelligence but don’t live in the United States, here’s how to get Apple Intelligence in the UK and other countries. Apple Intelligence will be officially available in English (UK), English (Australia), English (Canada), English (Ireland), English (South Africa) and English (New Zealand) as part of iOS 18.2 in December
Mac users in the EU can use Apple Intelligence with the above solution in macOS Sequoia 15.1. This April, iPhone and iPad users in the EU will be able to take advantage of Apple Intelligence and everything it has to offer.
An Apple spokesperson said: “We’re thrilled that iPhone and iPad customers in the EU will have access to many of the core features of Apple Intelligence. Features such as writing tools, Genmoji, a redesigned Siri with richer language understanding, ChatGPT integration, and many more capabilities will help users do even more with their devices. Since the announcement of Apple Intelligence, we’ve been working on a way to deliver as many features as possible in the EU in a way that is DMA compliant while still maintaining the highest standards. user privacy and security, and to determine what additional product engineering is required. We look forward to bringing Apple Intelligence features to users in the EU in future software updates.”
A new era
iOS 18.1 also introduces a series of upgrades for AirPods owners, including an FDA-approved over-the-counter hearing aid feature for people with mild to moderate hearing loss.
iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro owners can also change the camera that launches Camera Control, with a new option to quickly switch to the TrueDepth front camera. You’ll also find new Control Center options in the newly redesigned Control Center in iOS 18.
iOS 18.1 also fixes many bugs and brings stability improvements to all iOS 18-compatible iPhones. That said, Apple Intelligence is really the star of the show here, and with the latest update, Apple appears to be prioritizing iPhone 15 Pro owners and newer.
Want to know more about our thoughts? Check out our iOS 18.1 Apple Intelligence hands-on for an overview of all the AI features you can use in the new update. If you’re looking for a new Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhone, check out our iPhone 16 review.