Apple's rolling out some of its new Apple Intelligence features first announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June. But here’s the catch – for now, they’re only available on developer beta versions of iOS 18.1. Not keen on dealing with potential bugs? You might want to hold off for the public beta or stable release later this year.
- Developer Beta Access: Features currently limited to U.S. English and U.S. region settings.
- How to Enable: Steps to join the Apple Intelligence waitlist.
- Compatibility: Limited to iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and M1 chip devices.
- New Features: Enhanced Siri, writing tools, Mail app enhancements, Photos search, notification summaries, call transcriptions, and Notes app audio support.
Getting Started with Apple Intelligence
First things first, to use Apple Intelligence features, your language must be set to U.S. English, and your region to U.S. This doesn’t impact your App Store region or purchases. Here’s how to get started:
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Open the Settings App: Navigate to your iPhone’s settings.
- Apple Intelligence & Siri Menu: Find and tap on this menu.
- Join the Waitlist: Tap on “Join the Apple Intelligence waitlist.”
Once approved, you’ll receive a notification. Note that it might take a while for all the necessary models and data to download. You can disable Apple Intelligence from the menu anytime.
How Apple Intelligence Works
Apple’s AI suite operates through a mix of on-device processing and Apple Private Cloud requests. The waitlist ensures that there’s enough service capacity for everyone.
Compatibility
Apple Intelligence is currently compatible with the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and devices running on M1 chips like certain iPads and Macs.
Available Features
New Siri
The AI-powered Siri comes with a fresh animation. You can now double-tap the bottom bar to text Siri in noisy environments or during meetings. Siri can handle corrections seamlessly, so saying, “Hey Siri, set a 10-minute, no, 15-minute timer,” results in a 15-minute timer being set.
How-to Questions
You can ask Siri various system-related how-tos, like “How do I take a screen recording?”
Writing Tools
Apple Intelligence introduces advanced writing tools:
- Proofread: Check for spelling and grammatical errors.
- Rewrite: Rephrase selected text without changing its meaning.
- Tone Adjustment: Change the tone of text to “Friendly,” “Professional,” or “Concise.”
- Summarize: Generate lists, key points, or tables from the text.
Mail App Enhancements
The Mail app now displays email summaries in one line. Important emails are shown at the top, and AI-generated smart replies help you quickly respond to messages.
Photo Search
You can search for photos using natural language queries and create memories with prompts.
Notification Summaries
Apple Intelligence provides summaries for certain mail and message notifications.
Call Transcriptions
Call recording is now available at the tap of a button. Recordings are saved in a new “Call Recordings” folder in the Notes app.
Notes App Audio Support
Record and transcribe audio directly in the Notes app. The AI also generates summaries automatically.
Missing Features
While there’s a lot to explore, Apple Intelligence is still missing some features, including:
- Removing unwanted objects in photos
- Emoji and image playground
- ChatGPT interactions
There’s no set timeline for when these features will be available.
Conclusion
While the new Apple Intelligence features bring a suite of enhancements to your iPhone, their availability is currently limited to developer betas with U.S. settings. The public beta and stable releases are worth waiting for if you prefer a more polished experience. Whether it's the smarter Siri or the advanced writing tools, these features promise to make your iPhone even more powerful and user-friendly.
