The first batch of Apple's AI features will be introduced with the iOS 18.1 update scheduled for release in October. These advanced features will be compatible with iPhone 15 Pro models and all iPhone 16 variants. Users will initially need to set the language of their device and Siri to US English to access these features.
The public beta of iOS 18.1 has been released. The iOS 18.1 update aims to improve Siri's ability to understand follow-up requests and handle speech errors. Writing tools for text rewriting, summarising and correcting will also be introduced.
Notification summaries for various apps, such as Messages and Mail, and suggested responses within those apps will be part of this update. The new ‘Clean Up’ tool in the Photos app will allow users to remove unwanted elements from images using artificial intelligence technology.
The iOS 18.1 update will also allow users to create a Memories film in the Photos app by simply typing a description. It will introduce phone call recording and transcription and a new Focus mode called ‘Minimise Interruptions’ that prioritises important notifications.
Apple is currently testing iOS 18.2 internally and Apple Intelligence is scheduled for release in December in localised English for Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK. Two Apple Intelligence features are expected to be introduced in this release.
Image Playground and Genmoji features will appear in iOS 18.2. The former will allow users to create unique images within their apps, while the latter will help create custom emojis directly from the keyboard.
Apple also plans to integrate ChatGPT with Siri towards the end of the year. This will probably coincide with the release of iOS 18.2. With user permission, Siri will be able to display ChatGPT responses to queries and prompts.
The feature will also be integrated into Apple's system-wide Authoring Tools, allowing users to create text and images. Apple says ChatGPT will use OpenAI's latest GPT-4o on its platforms.
iOS 18.3 is expected to be a minor update expected to arrive in January, but it is not yet clear whether it will bring any new features to Apple Intelligence. Gurman notes in his Power On newsletter that Intelligence is ‘evaluating’ some new Siri features for the iOS 18.3 update.
However, the next major update after iOS 18.1 will be iOS 18.4, which is expected to be released in March 2025 and will include many new Siri features such as personal context, screen awareness, and more precise app-based controls.
