iOS 18.1 Widely Available This Week With First Apple Intelligence Features and More

Apple recently confirmed that iOS 18.1 will be widely released to the public this week. The software update includes the first Apple Intelligence features for iPhone 15 Pro models and all iPhone 16 models, a set of hearing health features for the AirPods Pro 2, phone call recording on the iPhone XS and newer, and more.

Generic iOS 18
Ahead of iOS 18.1 being released, Apple is already advertising Apple Intelligence as being "here" in a Reddit ad, hinting at the update's imminent availability.

Here are some of the key Apple Intelligence features coming with iOS 18.1:

  • A few Siri enhancements, including a new appearance with a glowing light that wraps around the edge of the screen, and improved understanding for both follow-up requests and when you stumble over your words
  • Writing tools for rewriting, summarizing, and proofreading text
  • Notification summaries
  • Suggested replies in the Messages and Mail apps
  • A new "Clean Up" tool in the Photos app that can remove unwanted people or objects from photos and use generative AI to fill in the background
  • The ability to create a "Memories" movie in the Photos app by typing a description
  • Transcription summaries for phone call recordings
  • A new Focus mode called Reduce Interruptions that surfaces important notifications only

See our full list of Apple Intelligence features included in iOS 18.1 for even more.

Apple Intelligence will gain more features and support for additional languages on a gradual basis between iOS 18.2 and iOS 18.4. iOS 18.2 is already in beta, and it adds Apple Intelligence features such as Genmoji, Image Playground, Image Wand, and ChatGPT integration for Siri, as well as Visual Intelligence exclusively on all iPhone 16 models. iOS 18.2 is expected to be widely released to the public in December.

iOS 18.1 supports the same iPhone models as iOS 17 does, but Apple Intelligence requires an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 model. On iOS 18.1, Apple Intelligence is available in U.S. English only, with more localized English languages for the U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa coming with iOS 18.2. Additional languages like German, Italian, and Korean will follow next year.

Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Johny Srouji

Apple's Chipmaking Chief Johny Srouji Responds to Report About Him Potentially Leaving

Monday December 8, 2025 9:23 am PST by
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future. "I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and...
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
google pixel 10

Switching Between iPhone and Android Will Get Easier With New Apple and Google Collaboration

Monday December 8, 2025 11:10 am PST by
Apple and Google are teaming up to make it easier for users to switch between iPhone and Android smartphones, according to 9to5Google. There is a new Android Canary build available today that simplifies data transfer between two smartphones, and Apple is going to implement the functionality in an upcoming iOS 26 beta. Apple already has a Move to iOS app for transferring data from an Android...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...

Top Rated Comments

turbineseaplane Avatar
15 months ago
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you "Siri"



Source: https://mastodon.social/@stroughtonsmith/113381041394864742


Attachment Image
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zerocharlie Avatar
15 months ago
Why is the new Siri glowing light being touted as a feature? If Siri is better, great. But a different animation?!

Ehhh that sounds like marketing language.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Joe Rossignol Avatar
15 months ago

Why they saying this week when it’s today? Technically it’s this week, but the wording of it could have said it releases today instead

So, it went from The Gurmanator saying today to "This week"? Is it today or not? Not that I really care, I just don't see me using much of this at all.
Yes, we expect iOS 18.1 to be released today. We put "This Week" in the headline to play it safe.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
endemize Avatar
15 months ago

Wow, those are some impressive AI features that you couldn't possibly get anywhere else! /s
But, but, but, integration and whatnot. Whatever helps you sleep at night, I suppose.
Why so cynical about it? It’s free.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Heat_Fan89 Avatar
15 months ago
I'm glad my iPhone 13 isn't getting any of that useless AI stuff. So tired of the Microsoft Co-Pilot and Google's Gemini AI nonsense.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cjsuk Avatar
15 months ago

Wow, those are some impressive AI features that you couldn't possibly get anywhere else! /s
But, but, but, integration and whatnot. Whatever helps you sleep at night, I suppose.
Late to the party hopefully means done properly.

I reserve judgement however.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)