iOS 18.1 introduces RCS support for Business Messaging and fixes issues affecting iPhone 16 Pro units.
The iOS 18.1 update introduces support for new RCS messaging features and fixes known issues affecting iPhone 16 series devices. Here’s what you need to know about the release:
On Monday, Apple made a release candidate version of iOS 18.1 available to developers ahead of the software’s general availability on October 28th. Like previous developer betas, Monday’s release candidate introduces support for new software features and includes major bug fixes.
In addition to the various issues resolved in the update, the RC version of iOS 18.1 enhances existing business messaging functionality by adding support for the RCS protocol.
Business Messaging now supports RCS on iOS 18.1
Business Messaging (previously known as Business Chat) now allows users to communicate with businesses via iMessage directly within the Messages app.
This feature was originally introduced as a more convenient way for users to communicate rather than relying on email or a company’s own web-based chat system.
iOS 18.1 adds RCS support and further improves business messaging capabilities. RCS stands for Rich Communication Services, a text messaging protocol that has improved compatibility with Android devices and offers significant improvements over traditional SMS messages.
RCS is now available for Business Messaging in iOS 18.1.
Apple already introduced RCS support for Messages in the general release of iOS 18, and the company’s iOS 18.1 release candidate will also allow business chats to use the RCS protocol.
RCS allows videos and GIFs to maintain full quality when sent from iPhone to Android and vice versa. Group chats, read receipts, and typing indicators also work across the two platforms.
In addition to business messaging enhancements, the iOS 18.1 update also introduces various bug fixes. This update resolves a frequent restart issue affecting devices such as the iPhone 16 series.
iOS 18.1 fixes random restart issue affecting iPhone 16 Pro units
iOS 18.1 resolves an issue reported by multiple iPhone 16 owners where the device repeatedly freezes and restarts during normal daily use. This bug was most common on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, which could also crash in standby mode.
iOS 18.1 fixes a random restart issue on iPhone 16 and newer devices.
According to the iOS 18.1 RC release notes that Apple published on Monday, the update addresses several other pre-existing bugs within the iPhone operating system.
- We fixed an issue where podcasts would mark unplayed episodes as played.
- Fixes an issue where videos recorded at 4K 60 when the device is warm may experience stuttering while scrubbing video playback in Photos.
- Fixes an issue where the digital car key may not unlock with passive entry or start the vehicle after restoring from a backup or transferring directly from another iPhone.
iOS 18.1 is scheduled to be generally available on October 28, 2024, one week after the release candidate version was published on Monday. While AirPods Pro 2 gets new hearing aid features with this release, the main focus of iOS 18.1 is Apple Intelligence, which uses generative AI software to enable text editing, summarization, and image modification.
However, it’s worth pointing out that Apple Intelligence features are only available on devices with A17 Pro chips or newer, or iPad and Mac devices with M1 or newer Apple Silicon chips.
iOS 18.1 introduces many Apple Intelligence features such as email classification and summarization, smart replies, and writing tools, but some AI-related enhancements, such as Image Playground, will be released in the future in late 2024. It debuts for the first time in an iOS release.
