Apple has finally added some of its Apple Intelligence AI features to the beta version of the iPhone’s iOS 18 software.
These updates are available to those signed up for the Apple beta programme, which is free to access. But the latest iOS 18.1 update is a developer build, a red flag for anyone lacking the patience to put up with some bugs and stability issues.
The new beta of iOS 18.1 also only includes some of Apple’s upcoming AI features, not the whole caboodle.
The key features are AI summaries for messages and email, the Writing Tools text-generation engine, and some improved Siri features. The voice assistant is better at dealing with people who speak less clearly, and Siri can offer tech advice about your Apple products.
Photo search has been improved in the iOS beta update too.
We don’t recommend most people update their iPhones with this pre-release beta software. But it means you can expect more reports on what Apple Intelligence is like at this early stage.
Many Apple Intelligence features are still to be added, including image generation, ChatGPT integration, and the one that raised eyebrows the most at the WWDC announcement: emoji generation.
Apple is playing its Apple Intelligence roll-out cautiously, a sensible move when Microsoft had to announce a last-minute delay of its CoPilot Plus Recall feature following legitimate privacy fears.
That will extend to the consumer roll-out of Apple Intelligence too.
Major new versions of iOS are typically given their full release alongside the new generation of iPhones. The iPhone 16 generation is expected in September 2024 but, according to Bloomberg, Apple Intelligence will not arrive until October.
It’s all in aid of “giving the company more time to fix bugs” according to Mark Gurman, a notable Apple insider and leaker. And some of the awaited AI features may not arrive until well into 2025.
AI is expected to be one of the key focuses of Apple’s push to persuade us it’s time to upgrade our iPhones. Apple Intelligence will also come to iPads and Macs.
