Apple has officially released iOS 18.1 after three months of beta testing. The global update, including support for Apple Intelligence with text tools, improvements to the Photos app, and more, is now available for download.
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One of the main innovations of iOS 18.1 was the artificial intelligence functions of Apple Intelligence. They provide users with a number of tools that make it easier to work with text, photos and notifications, such as Writing Tools, Reduce Interruptions, Photos.
The iOS 18.1 update is available for all iPhone models that support iOS 18. However, Apple Intelligence features are only available on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPhone 16. To install the update, users need to go to Settings, select General. and click “Software Update”. The build number of the new version is 22B83.
Writing Tools
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One of the key features of iOS 18.1 was “Text Tools”. Users can easily edit, rewrite and optimize text in any application. Available commands include Rewrite, Review, Make Friendly, Make Professional, Shrink, Create List, etc. These tools can be accessed by highlighting text and selecting the appropriate option from the menu. The Notes app also adds a dedicated button for quick access to these tools.
Reduce Interruptions
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Using artificial intelligence, the Notification Reduction option sorts notifications by priority. For example, important messages, such as notification of an early meeting or change of plans, will be shown immediately, while less important ones will be delayed. Users can customize which apps and contacts to show notifications from.
Photos app
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IOS 18.1 brings significant changes to the Photos app. There is a “Clear” function that allows you to remove unnecessary objects and people from a photo with one touch. In addition, Apple Intelligence can automatically detect items that can or should be deleted. The ability to create a personalized story based on the presented topic has also been added. That is, the application analyzes text, images and videos and then compiles a narrative movie. The search function for photos and videos has also been improved, allowing you to find specific moments in clips.
Voice assistant Siri
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The Siri voice assistant has also received improvements. Now, when Siri is activated, a glowing ring appears on the screen along the edges of the display. Added the ability to switch between voice and text input by double-tapping the Home indicator. Siri has become more context-aware, able to understand pauses and changes in requests. More advanced features like ChatGPT integration will come later in iOS 18.2.
Mail app
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The Mail app in iOS 18.1 has a “Priority Messages” section that displays the most important messages. Users can also see a summary of each letter directly in the message list, and a “Summarize” button has appeared inside letters. Smart Answer gives you quick answers and helps you make sure you don’t miss questions that need to be answered.
Summarizing notifications
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Apple Intelligence automatically summarizes notifications from apps, giving you a quick overview without having to open every message. This feature works with all applications on the iPhone; when setting it up, the user is prompted to select applications for which you want to enable notification summarization.
Summarizing audio recordings
IOS 18.1 introduces the long-awaited feature of summarizing audio recordings in the Notes application. Now you can get summaries of recorded phone conversations or notes. Summing is also available in the Phone app.
In addition to Apple Intelligence, iOS 18.1 includes a number of other interesting changes. In particular, the ability to switch to the front camera on the iPhone 16 using the camera control, new switches and a reset option appeared in the Control Center, NFC support for third-party developers, call recording and transcription, and TikTok integration with Apple Music.