Apple Intelligence arrives with iOS 18.1 next week

By Bryan M. Wolfe Published October 21, 2024

Apple Intelligence on the Apple iPhone 16 Plus. — Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Last month, Apple released iOS 18 right before the launch of iPhone 16. This update introduced several new features, but it did not include the most significant one, Apple Intelligence, which Apple had promised at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June. That will change next week.

According to The Wall Street Journal and The Verge, which have examined Apple’s upcoming AirPods Pro 2’s hearing health features, iOS 18.1 will arrive sometime next week. Apple had previously said it would launch before the end of the month, and this seems to confirm that.

Recommended Videos

Updates, including iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1, will all contain the first of Apple’s artificial intelligence (AI) features that were announced in the spring. Based on the current iOS 18.1 beta, the update will feature three Apple Intelligence features: writing enhancements, photo cleanup capabilities, and notification summaries.

The first offers enhanced autocorrect, grammar and spelling checks, and predictive text capabilities that learn your writing style over time. With Clean Up in Photos, you can now use AI to identify and suggest removing duplicate photos, screenshots, and blurry images to free up storage space. With Apple Intelligence’s Notification Summaries, you get concise summaries of less important notifications, making it easier to manage notification overload.

Apple showing the different devices that Apple Intelligence works on at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024. — Apple

Along with iOS 18.1, Apple will push out a firmware update for the AirPods Pro 2 next week. Once installed, it will allow the earbuds to become clinical-grade hearing aids for those with mild to moderate hearing loss.

Other new features likely to arrive next week include sleep apnea detection for the Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, Tiktok integration with Apple Music, bug fixes, and more.

Additional Apple Intelligence features are expected to launch in upcoming software updates before the end of the year and into 2025. These will include improvements to Siri, new image creation capabilities, ChatGPT integration, improved security, and more.

The following iPhones will support Apple Intelligence: the entire iPhone 16 series, the iPhone 15 Pro, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Former Mobile and A/V Freelancer

Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.

Topics

Phones

Next-gen Siri will sync your AI chats and spread them across Apple’s walled garden

Apple wants Siri to become ChatGPT with an iCloud subscription

Siri

Apple’s long-delayed AI overhaul may finally be starting to take shape, and the company appears ready to push Siri far deeper into its ecosystem than before. According to a new report from Mark Gurman, Apple is developing a major Siri upgrade that will synchronize AI conversations across devices through iCloud, turning the assistant into a more persistent and connected AI system inside Apple’s tightly controlled ecosystem.

The upcoming Siri redesign is reportedly being prepared as part of Apple’s broader iOS 27 and iOS 28 strategy, with the company positioning the assistant more directly against AI products like Google Gemini and ChatGPT. Instead of functioning as a simple voice tool, Siri is expected to evolve into a conversational AI assistant capable of maintaining synced chat histories across iPhones, iPads, Macs, and other Apple hardware.

Phones

iPhone 18 Pro’s big camera upgrade might cut deeper in your wallet

Apple’s next big iPhone camera upgrade might hurt your wallet

iphone 18 pro

Apple’s next-generation Pro iPhone could arrive with one of the biggest camera upgrades the company has introduced in years. But according to new analyst reports quoted by Forbes, that improvement may also come with a significant increase in manufacturing costs - raising fresh questions about whether future iPhone prices could climb even higher.

The focus of the latest leak is the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, which are expected to debut a new variable aperture camera system. Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims the upgraded camera module could cost Apple roughly 50 percent more than the camera hardware currently used in its Pro models.

Phones

Motorola just leaked its next Android phone, and it could be the perfect mid-ranger for you

More than the confirmed specifications, I’m concerned about the Indian pricing and the US availability.

Electronics, Mobile Phone, Phone

Motorola has done something unusual. Before officially unveiling the Edge 70 Pro+ on June 4, 2026, in India, the brand had published all the specifications, pictures, and other marketing material related to the phone on its website.

It’s all there, before the launch, leaving nothing for the rumor mill to speculate about. And it isn’t accidental, because the landing page hasn’t been taken down. It just says that the product is currently out of stock while revealing everything else.