Apple released the fourth public beta of iOS 18.1 on October 15th. This came about two weeks after the tech giant released several iPhone fixes. iOS18.0.1. Apple brought a lot of new features when it released the iPhone iOS18 In September, we’ll be rolling out a beta version of RCS Messaging, Home Screen Customization, and more, which will introduce several new features and improvements to iPhones for developers and public beta testers. This includes some Apple Intelligence features for developers and beta testers who live outside the EU or China and own the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max or the iPhone 16 lineup.
read more: Everything you need to know about iOS 18
Since this is a beta version, we recommend downloading it to a device other than your primary device. This is not the final version of iOS 18.1, so the update may have bugs and short battery life. Therefore, we recommend that you save those issues to a secondary device.
Note that the beta is not the final version of iOS 18.1, so more features may come to your iPhone once iOS 18.1 is released. There is no word yet on when Apple will make iOS 18.1 generally available.
Here are some features that may be coming to iPhone soon with iOS 18.1.
Added support for RCS messaging
When Apple released iOS 18, RCS messaging support was introduced to iPhone. With the iOS 18.1 beta, the tech giant is expanding support for RCS messaging to more carriers around the world.
According to 9to5Mac, these are the carriers that currently support RCS messaging on iPhone.
- Telenet (Belgium)
- Proximus (Belgium)
- BASE (Belgium)
- TracFone (USA)
- C Spire (US)
Control center adjustments
One of the big changes iOS 18 brought to the iPhone was a revamped Control Center, and Apple made some tweaks to these changes in the iOS 18.1 beta.
In iOS 18.1 Beta, go to Control Center and[接続]When you tap the tile (which shows settings like Wi-Fi, airplane mode, etc.), you’ll notice that some controls are arranged in tiles instead of rows. shaped. This is a small change, but it can have a big impact as it allows you to more easily control your connection settings.
You can also add independent controls for Wi-Fi, VPN, AirDrop, and Satellite to Control Center. Previously, these controls existed on the connection tile or on the Connections page in Control Center, but you could not add them as their own controls. Apple previously allowed you to add independent Bluetooth controls to Control Center.
There are also new level and measurement controls that can be added to the Control Center. If you don’t have a tape measure or bubble level on hand, both a level and tape measure can be useful for renovations.
If you don’t like the way Control Center is set up, Apple has added a way to reset Control Center to its default layout. go to Settings > Control Center and tap Reset control center.
Change your primary Apple ID email address
In iOS 18.1 Beta, you can now change or add the primary email address for your Apple ID. To do either, Settings > Apple ID > Sign-in & Security. From here, tap on the option Add email address or phone number Alternatively, you can tap an existing address and tap the toggle next to. Primary email address. Once your primary email address is set, Apple will send messages to that address.
colored home screen widgets
The iOS 18.1 beta also tweaks the iOS 18 feature that allows you to add color to your home screen apps. When you add a tint to your app, it will also be applied to widgets on your home screen such as clock, battery, and calendar. Prior to the beta, widgets were not affected by tint, only apps.
Lock screen notification number
One of the new iOS 18 features introduced to the iPhone is the ability to change the functionality of the lock screen, with the iOS 18.1 beta displaying the number of notifications from an app or user near the app or contact image. This makes notifications more efficient.
Before the beta, if you received some notifications from Messages or social media, the notifications would appear in a stack, showing the number instead of the message content.
Sleep apnea detection
Apple announced in September that Apple WatchOS 11 will bring sleep apnea detection to compatible Apple Watches. This feature was subsequently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Also, according to 9to5Mac, the latest iOS 18.1 beta enables the feature on compatible Apple Watch models paired with iPhones running the beta software.
Call recordings are delivered to your iPhone
With the iOS 18.1 beta, you can now record calls on your iPhone. Once the call has started, a symbol that looks like a sound bar will appear in the top left corner of the screen. Tap this to start recording the call. When you start recording a call, an automated voice announces to you and the other party on the line that the call is being recorded. So this feature works whether you’re talking to another iPhone user or an Android user. .
When the call ends or you stop recording, your iPhone saves the recording to the Notes app. You can then play the call in Notes. Newer iPhones, such as the iPhone 14 Pro, can view call transcripts in Notes, but older iPhones, such as the iPhone XR, cannot view these transcripts.
However, before using this feature, be sure to check with your local police regarding the legality of call recording.
expanded emoji keyboard
Another change in the iOS 18.1 beta is an expanded emoji keyboard. If you go to the emoji keyboard and swipe left, you’ll see most of your custom stickers instead of a section of frequently used stickers. Swipe left again to see a new menu with full access to Memoji, making it easier to use Memoji in place of other emojis.
Emoji keyboard emojis are also slightly larger than in iOS 18. This isn’t a shocking change, but it is.
Drag and drop with iPhone mirroring
According to 9to5Mac, if you have the beta versions of both iOS 18.1 and MacOS Sequoia 15.1, you can now easily drag and drop files from one device to another while mirroring your iPhone screen. This could make file sharing between devices even more seamless than before.
Apple intelligence features
Apple released the first developer beta of iOS 18.1 before making iOS 18 generally available. According to CNET’s Scott Stein and Patrick Holland, the beta introduced Apple Intelligence features such as email and document creation tools, photo cleanup tools, and changes and improvements to Siri. According to BGR, these features are also included in the public beta of iOS 18.1.
These features are only available to developers and public beta testers outside the EU and China who own the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max and the iPhone 16 lineup. If you’re a developer or public beta tester and, like me, use a base model iPhone 15 or earlier, you don’t have access to some of these features at this time.
These are some of the new features that public beta testers can try out in iOS 18.1 public beta 4. There will likely be more beta versions before the OS is released to the public, so there’s plenty of time for Apple to change these features. At this time, there is no word on when Apple will make iOS 18.1 generally available.
For more information about iOS, check out our iOS 18 review, What you need to know about RCS messaging on iPhone, and our iOS 18 cheat sheet. You can also check out what you need to know iOS18.0.1.
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