The wait is over—sort of. After the lackluster launch of iOS 18 on Monday, which didn’t include any Apple Intelligence features, the first public beta of iOS 18.1 (and iPadOS 18.1) is now available for regular users, following a period of exclusive testing for developers.
Be aware that the beta version may come with various issues and bugs, so it’s generally advised not to install it on your primary device. If you’re keen to give it a shot, navigate to Settings > General > Software Update, tap the info icon next to Beta Updates, and you’ll receive the iOS 18.1 public beta as an over-the-air update, which is the same process for iPadOS 18.1.
While this release includes some of the previously announced Apple Intelligence features, not all of them are available yet; they will be rolled out gradually into 2025. Current capabilities include transcription and summarization of phone calls, email prioritization, smart replies, notification summaries, photo cleanup gestures, writing tools (such as proofreading, summarizing, and rewriting), and a redesigned Siri that now allows for typed input.
However, features like ChatGPT integration, Image Playground, Genmoji, and improved personal context understanding for Siri will take a bit longer to arrive.
