iOS 18.1: 5 new features to expect, including Apple Intelligence and iPhone Mirroring

Date:
Fri, 18 Oct 2024 15:36:06 +0000

Description:
iOS 18.1 is due to release later this month, so weve rounded up five of the most exciting rumored features.

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iOS 18 only began rolling out to iOS 18 compatible devices on September 16, but Apple is already gearing up for the launch of its next major update: iOS 18.1.

Typically, these decimal-numbered updates are more incremental than groundbreaking, but this year, Apples first post-launch iOS update will be bigger than iOS 18 itself. Yes, its finally happening Apple Intelligence is coming to compatible iPhones as part of iOS 18.1.

Of course, thats not the only change set to be introduced by Apples next software update which, according to Bloombergs Mark Gurman , is slated for release on September 28 and below, weve rounded up five of the biggest new features. Apple Intelligence features Quick summary notifications using Apple Intelligence. (Image credit: Aplpe)

This is the big one: Apple Intelligence will debut on compatible iPhones as part of iOS 18.1. Youll find the full list of eligible devices in our Apple Intelligence compatibility guide, but for iPhones, specifically, youll need
an iPhone 15 Pro , iPhone 15 Pro Max , iPhone 16 , iPhone 16 Plus , iPhone 16 Pro , or iPhone 16 Pro Max .

Unfortunately, not all Apple Intelligence features will be made available in iOS 18.1 and those that do will be limited to US English for now but many
of Apples core AI functions are set to make their debuts in the coming weeks. Weve highlighted some of them below. Siri : Apples new-and-improved Siri assistant is more natural, more contextually relevant, and just generally a lot smarter than before. For questions it cant answer on its own, it can hand the query off to ChatGPT (with your permission), and summoning Siri will trigger a rather pretty device-wide glow animation. Writing Tools : Apples suite of AI-powered writing tools will help you proofread text, rewrite text in a chosen tone of voice, and quick reply to messages or emails. Photo features : For the Photos app, Apple Intelligence introduces Clean Up, which lets you erase unwanted people and objects from an image; Memory Movie, which creates image slideshows based on written prompts; and natural language search. Summaries : Apple Intelligence can provide summaries (i.e. easy-to-read digests) of emails, phone calls, audio recordings, and even notifications.

As for the Apple Intelligence features that wont be arriving with iOS 18.1 , Apple reportedly plans to launch Image Playground and Genmoji in future iOS updates. The former will allow users to create generative images in various iPhone apps like Messages or Notes, while the latter is essentially a custom emoji generator. Improved Contactless functionality (Image credit: Shutterstock / Oleksii Halutva)

Moving onto the non-AI (and non-device-exclusive) features, iOS 18.1 will
open up your iPhones NFC chip to third-party developers for the first time. What does this mean, exactly?

Well, itll essentially allow developers outside of Apple to enable in-app contactless transactions for, in Apples words , in-store payments, car keys, closed loop transit, corporate badges, student ID, home keys, hotel keys, merchant loyalty and rewards, and event tickets, with government IDs to be available at a later date. In other words, your iPhone really could soon replace your wallet.

Naturally, any developers interested in accessing said NFC chip will need to enter into a commercial agreement with Apple [...] and pay the associated fees, but given the number of contactless-using iPhone owners in the world,
we doubt that theyll be hesitant to do so.
Upgraded iPhone Mirroring iPhone Mirroring on a MacBook running macOS
Sequoia (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

iPhone Mirroring which lets you control your iPhone from your MacBook
screen as long as youre running macOS Sequoia and iOS 18 was one of the features that excited us most at WWDC 2024 , but its early functionality in iOS 18 has been limited.

Thankfully, iOS 18.1 will add the ability to seamlessly drag and drop files between your iPhone and MacBook (it works both ways in the iOS 18.1 beta), making iPhone Mirroring a much more useful tool. Heres hoping Apple improves this feature further by adding audio input passthrough in future updates.
A small Control Center upgrade Control Center in iOS 18 (Image credit:
Apple)

iOS 18 introduced the ability to customize Control Center , but if you let your creativity get the better of you, youll be pleased to know that iOS 18.1 will add a Reset Control Center option in the Settings app (because
sometimes, Apples way is the best way).

Another small-but-welcome Control Center tweak: according to MacRumors , iOS 18.1 will let you add separate Control Center buttons for Wi-Fi and VPNs. Currently, all connectivity toggles are bundled into a single widget. Selfie option for Camera Control The Camera Control interface on an iPhone 16 Plus (Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

Last but not least, for iPhone 16 users exclusively, iOS 18.1 will make the Camera Control button compatible with the selfie camera.

To switch to the selfie camera using Camera Control, youll have to open the Camera app, lightly press the Camera Control button twice, navigate to the Cameras option, then scroll all the way to the left. There, youll find a new Selfie option. You might also like Best iPhone : which Apple smartphone
reigns supreme? How to download iOS 18 on your iPhone and what to do if it won't install An upcoming iPhone feature will make it easier to detect spam calls



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/ios/ios-18-1-5-new-features-to-expect-includi ng-apple-intelligence-and-iphone-mirroring


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