Apple is finally releasing some of the Apple Intelligence features that were announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June. However, the rollout is currently limited to developer beta versions of iOS 18.1. If you prefer to avoid dealing with early-stage buggy software, it might be worth waiting for the release of public betas or the stable version later this year.
For those on the developer beta, it’s important to note that you can only access Apple Intelligence features if your language is set to U.S. English and your region is set to the U.S. This does not affect your App Store regions or purchases.
To start using Apple Intelligence features, follow these steps:
1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go to the Apple Intelligence & Siri menu.
3. Tap on the “Join the Apple Intelligence waitlist” option.
Once your waitlist position is approved, you will receive a notification. It may take some time for the system to download all the necessary models and data to run Apple Intelligence. If desired, you can toggle off the Apple Intelligence feature from the menu at any time.
Apple’s AI suite features operate through a combination of on-device and Apple Private Cloud requests. The waitlist is in place to ensure sufficient service capacity.
Currently, Apple Intelligence is only compatible with iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPads and Macs running on M1 chips.
Now, let’s take a look at some of the available features:
1. New Siri: The Apple Intelligence-powered Siri has a new animation. Additionally, you can double tap on the bottom bar to text Siri when you are in a loud place or a meeting. Siri can also handle stumbling words, allowing you to set a timer even if you change the duration mid-sentence.
2. How-to questions: Siri can now provide answers to system-related how-to questions. For example, you can ask Siri, “How do I take a screen recording?”
3. Writing tools: You can now reformat any text across the system. The “Proofread” feature helps you check for spelling mistakes or grammatical errors, while “Rewrite” allows you to rephrase selected text without changing the meaning significantly. Additionally, you can choose the tone of the text from three options: “Friendly,” “Professional,” or “Concise.” The system can also summarize the text to generate a list, key points, or a table.
4. Mail app: The Mail app now displays summaries of emails in one line without having to open them. Apple Intelligence also prioritizes important emails at the top of the inbox. Smart replies generated by AI can help you quickly respond to emails.
5. Photos: You can now search for photos using natural language queries. Additionally, prompts make it easier to create memories with your photos.
6. Notification summaries: Apple Intelligence provides summaries of certain mail and message notifications, making it easier to get an overview of important information.
7. Call transcriptions: With Apple Intelligence, call recording is now possible with the tap of a button. The recordings are stored in a dedicated “Call Recordings” folder in the Notes app.
8. Notes app audio support: You can record and transcribe audio directly into the Notes app. Apple’s AI suite will also automatically generate a summary.
It’s important to note that Apple Intelligence does not yet include features such as the ability to remove unwanted objects in photos, emoji suggestions, image playground, and ChatGPT interactions. There is currently no fixed timeline for when these features will be available for testing.
In conclusion, Apple is gradually rolling out its Apple Intelligence features, providing users with enhanced AI capabilities across various apps and functions. While currently limited to developer beta versions, the public beta and stable releases are expected later this year. The available features range from improvements to Siri and the Mail app to advanced writing tools and photo search capabilities. As Apple continues to develop and refine its AI suite, users can look forward to even more innovative features in the future.