Apple Intelligence will be released next week with iOS 18.1. Here are all the AI features you can try at launch
Apple Intelligence will be released next week, as Apple has confirmed that the hearing health features of iOS 18.1 and AirPods Pro 2 will roll out sometime next week.
Apple confirmed in a press release that the AirPods Pro 2 hearing aid upgrade, which requires iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1, will be available to the public starting next week. Putting two and two together, we will soon usher in the Apple Intelligence era for iPhone and iPad.
In these software updates, you’ll get access to the first wave 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 of Siri.
Additionally, if you have AirPods Pro 2, the earbuds can perform a hearing test and even act as FDA-approved over-the-counter hearing aids for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. Of course, you’ll need to install that AirPods firmware update on your iPhone alongside iOS 18.1.
Apple Intelligence will work on some of the top iPhones, including the iPhone 16 series and the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max. Unfortunately, iPhone users of devices as recent as the iPhone 15 don’t get access to the features that Apple Intelligence offers.
Apple had previously announced that Apple Intelligence would be available in October, but for owners of the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, it may still be difficult to wait more than a month to get the features. to get their new iPhones. a little.
That said, now that we have a better idea of when to expect Apple Intelligence, we can start to get excited about everything Apple’s AI has to offer.
A new era
If you’re waiting for some of Apple Intelligence’s more exciting features, like ChatGPT integration in Siri and the major overhaul of the voice assistant with on-screen awareness and personal context, then you’ll have to stay patient because we won’t be using those for a while.
Genmoji, Image Playground, ChatGPT integration, and Visual Intelligence will arrive as part of iOS 18.2, which should hit beta in about a month. Apple has said that all of these features will be coming “later this year,” so with only about two months left in 2024, we should get our hands on these AI tools quickly. Siri’s overhaul, on the other hand, won’t be available until 2025.
Next week’s release date is for US English only, while other parts of the world will have to wait until December to get their hands on Apple Intelligence. While you can easily change the language of your device, you’ll find that Apple Intelligence will struggle – trust me, it doesn’t handle Scottish slang very well! As for Apple users in the EU, we still don’t have any information on whether you’ll get AI features.
For an overview of everything you can use next week, check out our iOS 18.1 Apple Intelligence hands-on, as well as our deep dive into the AirPods Pro 2’s hearing health features here. If you’re looking for a new Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhone, check out our iPhone 16 review.