Apple has announced the stable rollout of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1, which includes the much-anticipated Apple Intelligence. This stable version follows the public beta rollout that began last month.
The update brings iPhone, iPad, and Mac users the first set of Apple Intelligence features, such as system-wide writing tools, improved Siri, Priority Messages, natural language search in the Photos app, and more.
Apple Intelligence rollout: Supported Devices (October 2024):
The first set of Apple Intelligence features is available now as a free software update for iPhone, iPad, and Mac users with iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1. The supported devices include:
- Phone 16
- iPhone 16 Plus
- iPhone 16 Pro
- iPhone 16 Pro Max
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPad with A17 Pro or M1 and later
- Mac with M1 and later.
Apple Intelligence features
The current version includes system-wide Writing Tools to enhance writing and communication across various iPhone, iPad, and Mac apps. These tools include:
- Rewrite: Suggests different versions of the text to adjust tone and style for specific audiences.
- Proofread: Checks grammar, and sentence structure and offers suggestions with explanations.
- Summarize: Creates concise summaries of text in different formats.
Apple’s Siri virtual assistant gets a major overhaul. Siri will be smarter and more helpful with the following features:
- Improved natural language understanding: Siri can now understand users better even if they stumble over their words, and can follow the context of a conversation.
- Multimodal input: Users can now type their requests to Siri in addition to using voice commands.
- Device guidance: Siri can answer questions on how to use Apple devices.
- Onscreen awareness: Siri can understand and take actions on content displayed on the screen.
- Personalized intelligence: Siri can access user information on the device to deliver a more personal experience, such as finding podcasts recommended by contacts or tracking flight information.
Apple Intelligence enhances photo and video searching on iPhones and iPads:
- Natural language search: Find specific photos and videos by describing their content, like “beach sunset” or “birthday party with John.”
- Video moment search: Jump to exact moments within videos based on your description.
- Clean Up tool: Remove unwanted background objects from photos without affecting the main subject.
- Smarter Memories: Create custom photo and video stories by describing what you want the memory to showcase. Apple Intelligence will pick relevant media, organize it with chapters, and even suggest background music.
Apple Intelligence also improves other aspects of communication:
- Mail: Priority Messages highlights important emails, summaries provide previews without opening them, Smart Reply suggests quick responses and identifies questions.
- Notifications: Priority notifications surface important messages, summaries show key details and Reduce Interruptions Focus allows focusing on tasks by minimizing distractions.
- Notes and Phone: Audio recording with transcription and summarization helps capture and recall key points.
New Apple Intelligence features, such as Image Playground, Genmoji, ChatGPT integration, and visual intelligence, will be available in December, with additional capabilities rolling out in the coming months.
Regarding the matter, Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, said,
Apple Intelligence introduces a new era for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, delivering brand-new experiences and tools that will transform what our users can accomplish.
Apple Intelligence builds on years of innovation in AI and machine learning to put Apple’s generative models at the core of our devices, giving our users a personal intelligence system that is easy to use — all while protecting their privacy. Apple Intelligence is generative AI in a way that only Apple can deliver, and we’re incredibly excited about its ability to enrich our users’ lives.