Apple today released iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1, the first major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 updates that came out in September. iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 come six weeks after the release of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
Apple Intelligence is the main draw in iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1, and some of the first Apple Intelligence features are available on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, any iPhone 16 model, or any iPad with an M-series or A17 Pro chip. Note that Apple Intelligence is launching in a beta capacity, and there will be a short waitlist initially. To opt in to Apple Intelligence, you'll need to open up the Settings app, go to Apple Intelligence and Siri, and toggle it on.
There are multiple Apple Intelligence features available:
- Writing Tools - You can use Writing Tools for proofreading text, rewriting what you've written, and getting summaries.
- Siri - Siri has a new look, a Type to Siri feature, and Apple product knowledge for answering support-related questions. Siri can also maintain better context between requests and keep up if you stumble over your words.
- Summaries and Smart Replies - In Mail and Messages, there are summarize and Smart Reply features, and for all apps, you'll get notification summaries. In Safari, you can get summaries of webpages, and you can also get summaries of transcripts in the Notes app, including from phone calls.
- Photos - Photos has "Clean Up" for removing unwanted objects, and Memory Movie for creating slideshows from your images with just a phrase.
- Focus - There's a Reduce Interruptions Focus Mode that only shows you important notifications that need your attention.
For more on all of the Apple Intelligence features available today, we have a dedicated guide.
There are also other new additions in iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1, which will be of particular interest to those who do not have an Apple Intelligence device.
Apple has refined Control Center so you can now split out more connectivity controls, access the Measure app, and more, plus you can record phone calls. To record a call, just tap the button in the left hand corner while the call is in progress. Everyone will be notified, and it'll be added to the Notes app, where you'll get a transcript of what was said.
NFC access is being opened up to third-party apps, allowing for all kinds of new capabilities, including contactless payments that aren't Apple Pay. Apple's full release notes for iOS 18.1 are available below.
Apple Intelligence (All iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max)
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 summarySiri
- 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 clearPhotos
- 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 seeNotifications
- 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 recordingPhone
- 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 recordedCamera
- 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/This update also includes 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 restartSome features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/100100
Note that some Apple Intelligence features like Genmoji, Image Playground, and the much smarter Siri won't be coming until later.
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