Updated iOS 18.1 waitlist details on October 24th.
Apple Intelligence is almost here, and Apple has just confirmed exactly when it will arrive. We already knew it would be in October, but Apple announced it would be next week. And on Wednesday, October 23rd, Apple just rolled out the first developer beta of iOS 18.2.
Apple Intelligence is arriving in just a few days.
Now, new details have emerged about a key element of Apple Intelligence. That is the existence of a waiting list. Updating to iOS 18.1 adds a new feature to the Settings app called Apple Intelligence & Siri. You can sign up for Apple Intelligence here. You will then be asked to join the waitlist, just as developers and those using the public beta had to do.
Meanwhile, the waiting list moved quickly and we waited for a full 10 minutes. Things may change once the software reaches critical mass associated with general release. However, if you’re already using the beta version of Apple Intelligence, Apple says you don’t need to wait again.
So, as Ryan Christoffel points out on 9to5Mac, this is a crafty way to overcome waiting lists. “You can join the Apple Intelligence waitlist today. How? Install the iOS 18.1 Public Beta. Apple released the iOS 18.1 RC Beta today. RC stands for Release Candidate, and the software will be available for all users next week. That means it’s likely to be the same one released to users… If you install iOS 18.1 RC, you’ll be able to join the Apple Intelligence waitlist without having to wait another day.” That means next week. You can switch to general release software without having to join the waitlist again.
iOS 18.1 release date
Next week means Monday, October 28th, Tuesday, October 29th, or Wednesday, October 30th. I believe the exact release details will be on October 28th at 10am Pacific Time.
iOS 18.1: First experience with Apple Intelligence
The first features of Apple’s Personal Intelligence System are coming soon. More features will be added in the coming months, but the first features include writing tools that will help you improve what you write. You can proofread your text, and iPhone can rewrite or summarize what you say. These tools are available across iPhone, including Mail, Notes, Pages, and some third-party apps.
Photos has a new cleanup tool that lets you remove people and things that ruin your shots, and uses multiple machine learning tools to leave your background as clean as if it never existed in the first place.
Recording and transcribing audio is already possible, but iOS 18.1 adds the ability to record calls and includes automatic notifications to participants. A summary is also generated after the call ends.
Siri gets a new design that’s at the heart of the iPhone experience, making it more intuitive.
Initially, Apple Intelligence on iPhone will only work on devices with language and Siri set to US English. However, Apple has released a developer beta that extends this to other versions of English as well.
iOS 18.2 developer beta now available
A new development beta for iOS 18.2 is now available, allowing more English speakers to use Apple Intelligence, specifically English for Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
We’ve also introduced more features and improved existing burning tools. You can specify what you’re looking for in the “Description of Change” element.
New features include Image Playground, which lets you create images from photos in your photo library. Save them in your new standalone app and they’ll automatically update across devices on the same Apple account.
And with iOS 18.2 comes the long-awaited Genmoji, which lets you create all-new emojis with just a text prompt. We also see integration with ChatGPT for the first time. If Siri thinks ChatGPT is useful, it will ask you if you want to connect to ChatGPT. Apple emphasizes that it has security protections in place for each request and that a ChatGPT account is not required. Visual Intelligence, which integrates with iPhone camera controls, is also included in the new beta.
Apple iOS 18.2 will be generally released in December, Apple has confirmed.
