Key Takeaways
- iOS 18.1 has been released by Apple.
- This introduces the initial set of Apple intelligence features, including notification summaries and new writing tools.
- Other features, like ChatGPT, will have to wait.
The first wave of Apple Intelligence features is now accessible to all users thanks to Apple’s confirmation of the release of iOS 18.1. Here are some things to anticipate, including comparable improvements for the Mac and iPad.
Alongside iPadOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.2, the recently released update contains a number of Apple Intelligence features that are often useful but not very remarkable.
First, the Notes and Phone apps in iOS 18.1 and the software that goes with it now compile your email threads, recorded voice, and notifications. Additionally, you can anticipate cross-system writing tools that can summarize, edit, and rewrite content in various tones (e.g., professional or brief).
Although Siri isn’t fully functional yet, you can now type instead of speaking. Additionally, it can provide instructions on how to accomplish activities on Apple devices and is more adept at handling clumsy inquiries.
Natural language searches using basic descriptions of images and videos are now available in Photos. Clean Up is similar to Google’s Magic Eraser in that it can eliminate undesired things from pictures. Memories videos can also be made just by writing descriptions.
US English is the first language in which these Apple Intelligence functions are accessible.
However, iOS 18.2 will include a lot more in December. Along with bringing Apple Intelligence to more English-speaking nations like Australia, Canada, South Africa, and the UK, you’ll also get important image-generation tools like Image Wand, which transforms sketches into high-quality images like Samsung’s AI Drawing, Genmoji, which is a description-based emoji, and Image Playground, which allows you to create pictures from scratch.
Along with the expected Visual Intelligence feature, which will allow iPhone 16 owners to use Camera Control to learn about what’s in front of them, the 18.2 version will also expand upon iOS 18.1 by integrating ChatGPT with Siri. Using writing tools, you can explain particular changes.
Not all of the most significant adjustments are due this year. Priority notifications will also have to wait, and Siri won’t be able to understand your personal context until later. But once optimized systems like the first M4 Macs reach consumers, it’s evident that Apple’s generative AI era has officially begun.
