With new iOS releases, Apple typically starts testing the x.1 version right after the main release. We expected the iOS 18 beta to continue through the summer until its release in September, followed immediately by the iOS 18.1 beta. Then, iOS 18.1 would be released in October, and 18.2 beta testing would begin, and so on.
This year is very different. More than a month ahead of the expected iOS 18 release, Apple began an iOS 18.1 beta test. It was made available for developers way back on July 29, and is now finally available for all iPhones, bringing the first Apple Intelligence features for compatible models—the iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max, as well as the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max
You can find out everything you need to know about iOS 18 in our superguide.
Updated October 28: iOS 18.1 has arrived for all iPhones.
iOS 18.1: New features
Apple’s biggest iOS 18 feature is Apple Intelligence, a suite of AI tools and Siri enhancements that will be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, as well as later iPhones. Apple Intelligence is coming to Macs with Apple Silicon as well.
Here are Apple’s full release notes for the iOS 18.1 release:
Apple Intelligence
- Writing Tools
- Writing Tools are available nearly everywhere you type, allowing you to rewrite, proofread, and summarize text right in the app you’re working in
- Rewrite suggests different versions of your text so you can choose which combination of flow and wording you like best
- Proofread lets you view suggested improvements to what you’re writing, like grammar fixes and language refinements
- Summarize allows you to select text wherever you’re writing and generate a high-quality summary
- Siri
- A new look and feel includes a glowing light that wraps around the edge of your screen, animates responsively to the sound of your voice, and lets you keep scrolling or typing while you talk to Siri
- Type to Siri when you don’t want to speak a request out loud by double tapping at the bottom of the screen
- Richer language understanding enables Siri to follow along if you stumble over your words or change your mind mid-sentence
- Conversational context is maintained over the course of a session, so you can refer more naturally to something you said in a recent request or something Siri mentioned in a recent response
- Product knowledge helps you get answers to thousands of questions about the features and settings on your Apple products
- Voice enhancements make Siri sound more natural, expressive, and clear
- Photos
- Photos search lets you find photos and videos simply by describing what you’re looking for
- Clean Up removes distractions in your photos
- Memory movies can be created by describing the story you want to see
- Notifications
- Notification summaries make it easy to catch up on your notifications with a glanceable summary of the most important information
- Reduce Interruptions is a new Focus that ensures the most urgent notifications get through to you while silencing potential distractions
- Smart Reply in Mail and Messages help you quickly respond to messages with suggested responses
- Priority messages in Mail understands the content of your messages and prioritizes those that require your attention, displaying them at the top of your inbox
- Transcription summaries in Notes give you an intelligently created summary of the transcript from your audio recording or call recording
Phone
- Call recordings and transcriptions let you record live calls and transcribe them in the Notes app, with an automatic announcement that the call is being recorded
Camera
- Camera Control can quickly switch to the front TrueDepth Camera (iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max)
- Spatial photo capture, along with spatial video capture, is available in a new Spatial camera mode (iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max)
AirPods
- Hearing Test feature provides scientifically-validated hearing test results from the comfort of home (intended for users 18 years or older)
- Hearing Aid feature provides personalized, clinical-grade assistance that is automatically applied to sounds in your environment as well as music, videos, and calls (intended for users 18 years or older with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss)
- Hearing Protection feature helps users minimize exposure to loud environmental noise across listening modes (available in the United States and Canada)
- Features require AirPods Pro 2 with firmware version 7B19 or later. All features may not be available for all countries or regions, for more information visit: https://apple.com/airpods-pro/feature-availability/
iOS 18.1: Bug fixes
According to Apple, the iOS 18.1 update also the following improvements and bug fixes:
- Control Center has new options to add connectivity controls individually and reset your configuration
- RCS Business Messaging lets you connect with businesses over RCS (requires carrier support)
- App Store search lets you use natural language to find what you’re looking for more easily
- Game Center friend invites can be sent directly from the Contacts app and Friend Suggestions, and receivers can see the invites in the inbox in Settings
- Fixes an issue in Podcasts where unplayed episodes are marked as played
- Fixes an issue where videos recorded at 4K 60 while the device is warm could experience stutter while scrubbing the video playback in Photos
- Fixes an issue where digital car keys may not unlock or start a vehicle with passive entry after restoring from a backup or transferring directly from another iPhone
- Fixes an issue where iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro models may unexpectedly restart
iOS 18.1: Security updates
As with all updates, iOS 18.1 will include numerous security patches and fixes that are crucial to compatible iPhones. More information can be found on Apple’s security releases support page.
iOS 18.1: How to install
To get the latest version of iOS 18 on your phone, head over to the Settings app, then General and Software Update. Then follow the prompts to restart and install the update.
iOS 18.2: How to install the iOS beta
The iOS 18.2 beta beings many more Apple Intelligence features and will likely arrive in December. But you can try it out now even though it’s only for developers. Beginning with iOS 17, you don’t need to be in the $99 per year developer program to access the developer beta. A free developer account will do. You can get one via Xcode or the Apple Developer app in iOS. Here’s how to do it via the Apple Developer app:
- Download the Apple Developer App from the App Store.
- Open the app.
- Tap on Account.
- Sign in using your usual Apple ID.
Registered developers can choose to get the iOS 18.2 beta instead by going to the Settings app, then General > Software Update, and selecting iOS Developer Beta in the Beta Updates tab. When you return to the main Software Update screen, you’ll Upgrade to iOS 18 at the bottom of the screen under the Also Available heading. Tap that and it’ll take you to the iOS 18.2 beta.
As always, remember to back up your iPhone before you install the beta. If you want to wait for the public beta, you’ll follow these steps when it arrives:
- Head to beta.apple.com and register your Apple ID for the beta.
- Go to Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates and select the beta you wish to install.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to download and install the beta.
Author: Jason Cross, Senior Editor, Macworld
Jason has written about technology for more than 25 years - first in the gaming press, then focusing on enthusiast PCs and general technology. He enjoys learning how complicated technology works and explaining it in a way anyone can understand.