Apple has released the iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 release candidates for developers and public beta testers, continuing the focus on Apple Intelligence features. These release candidates arrive a week after the seventh beta version, and the updates are available for download in the Settings app under General > Software Update on compatible devices.
Key highlights of Apple Intelligence in this update include:
- Writing Tools: Enhanced text editing capabilities, offering spell checking, grammar correction, tone rewriting, and summarization.
- New Siri Design: A subtle glow around Siri with improved context retention and the ability to follow along if you stumble over words. There’s also a new Type to Siri feature for typing requests.
- Smart Replies: Available in Messages and Mail for quick responses, along with time-sensitive messages in Mail.
- Safari Summarization: Articles in Safari can now be summarized, improving content digestion.
- Memory Movie: A new Photos feature for creating slideshows based on text descriptions.
- Phone Call Recording and Transcription: Available on all devices, allowing recording, transcribing, and summarizing phone calls.
- Spatial Photos: Added support for spatial photography on iPhone 15 Pro models.
While many new features are available in this release, Image Playground, Genmoji, and additional advanced Siri features have yet to be implemented. The updates are designed to work optimally on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16.