Apple has officially released iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1, making advanced AI capabilities accessible to the general public. These features are available on iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, the entire iPhone 16 lineup, iPads with the A17 Pro or M1 chip, and Macs with M1 or newer processors.

Activation Requirements

To enable Apple Intelligence, users must set their device language to U.S. English. However, activation is unavailable for iPhones with European accounts, though it remains functional on Macs.

Key Features of the First Release

Revamped Siri Interface: Screen edges light up during activation.
Enhanced Speech Processing: Handles natural pauses and stammering.
Apple Product Insights: Siri can answer questions about Apple products.
Image Tools:
- Photo searches.
- Creation of clips.
- Object removal.
Text Recognition and Conversion: Available in Mail, Messages, and audio recordings.
“Focus” Functionality: Highlights important notifications.
Writing Tools: A text-writing assistant.

Upcoming Features in December

Additional functionalities, including ChatGPT support, emoji generation, image creation, and advanced photo processing, will be introduced in iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2, slated for release in December. A developer version is already available.

Availability in Europe

The rollout of Apple Intelligence for iPhones and iPads in the EU is scheduled for April 2025, with support for multiple languages including French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese, and others. Apple previously delayed the European launch due to “regulatory uncertainty.”