The MacRumors Show: Apple Intelligence Beta is Here

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss Apple's unusual iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 betas that introduce Apple Intelligence for the first time.


The beta versions currently available are exclusive to developers, providing them with a first hands-on look at Apple Intelligence. Apple continues to beta test iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15 separately.

One of the most prominent aspects of Apple Intelligence is its Writing Tools, which allow users to proofread text for spelling and grammar errors and rewrite content to change its tone. Users can also summarize any text, creating paragraphs, lists, or tables, which are accessible anywhere text input is possible across the operating system.

The revamped version of Siri is another key feature of ‌Apple Intelligence‌. The voice assistant now boasts a new design with a glowing edge around the display when activated, indicating when ‌Siri‌ is listening. There is also a Type to ‌Siri‌ option, which allows users to interact with ‌Siri‌ via text instead of voice commands. ‌Siri‌ has been enhanced to maintain context between requests and follow along if the user stumbles over words. Additionally, ‌Siri‌ can now answer a wide range of questions about Apple devices, leveraging Apple's extensive product knowledge and support database.

Several other features included in the beta release are designed to improve communication and media management. For example, users can record, transcribe, and summarize phone calls, which are then stored in the Notes app. The Mail and Messages applications now feature Smart Replies, offering quick, context-based responses. In the Photos app, the new Memory Maker feature allows users to create memory movies from photo collections using natural language descriptions. This feature automatically selects relevant photos and music, although users can customize their creations further.

Some features have been postponed to later releases. The Image Playground app, which offers image creation tools, is not yet available. Genmoji, a tool for creating custom emojis, and the Image Wand feature, which inserts contextually relevant images into Notes, are also missing from the current beta. Additionally, Priority Notifications, which prioritize important alerts, and advanced Mail categories for sorting incoming messages are not yet implemented. Other postponed features include the ability to remove unwanted objects from photos with a single tap, enhanced ‌Siri‌ capabilities such as on-screen awareness, and ChatGPT integration, which should significantly expand ‌Siri‌'s conversational abilities.

Apple has indicated that these additional features will be rolled out progressively throughout 2024 and 2025. The current ‌Apple Intelligence‌ beta is limited to U.S. English and is not accessible to developers in the European Union or China. ‌Apple Intelligence‌ is supported by the iPhone 15 Pro and ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max, all Apple silicon iPads, and all Apple silicon Macs. The public will have access to the first ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features upon the official release of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.1 later this year.

The MacRumors Show has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips:

You can also listen to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or your preferred podcasts app. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your podcast player.


If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up for our discussion on all of the latest rumors about the iPhone 17 "Slim" – a whole new kind of iPhone coming next year.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as Luke Miani, Matthew Cassinelli, Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Kevin Nether, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Jon Prosser, Sam Kohl, John Gruber, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie.

‌The MacRumors Show‌ is on X @MacRumorsShow, so be sure to give us a follow to keep up with the podcast. You can also head over to The MacRumors Show forum thread to engage with us directly. Remember to rate and review the podcast, and let us know what subjects and guests you would like to see in the future.

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday March 31, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...

Top Rated Comments

BobWitte Avatar
9 months ago
New mics sound great BUT also pick up more breath sounds, sniffles, etc. Time to tweak some settings..... Or set up a Gate? Or back off a bit when not talking? Just an observation from sound guy lol.....
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tweaknmod Avatar
9 months ago

New mics sound great BUT also pick up more breath sounds, sniffles, etc. Time to tweak some settings..... Or set up a Gate? Or back off a bit when not talking? Just an observation from sound guy lol.....
I could hear Dan’s whole body schmlooshing around as he moved, breathed, and opened and closed his mouth…

Excellent mics, but good lord that was too much Dan, ?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RyanFlynn Avatar
9 months ago
FYI this iOS 18 release has been the most stable beta I've experienced yet.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
9 months ago
Regarding the whole discussion about Apple limiting Apple Intelligence features to 15 Pro and up, it would have been feasible for Apple to provide the option to offload the necessary computations to Apple servers, for those devices whose hardware isn’t capable to perform it on-device. This would have made it clear that Apple isn’t just feature-gating Apple Intelligence to push iPhone upgrades. Yes, there’s the privacy aspect, but most people don’t really care that much (as evidenced by current use of online LLM services), and most of those who do care would understand that it’s a hardware trade-off.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
azentropy Avatar
9 months ago
The issue isn't that Apple Intelligence isn't supported on the 15 (and 14, 14 Pro, 13 Pro etc) it is that we have been clamoring for more RAM for YEARS and people kept defending Apple in saying it wasn't needed. Guess what, apparently it was.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
anthogag Avatar
9 months ago
Apple could be limiting the new AI features to 15 Pro Max and newer to maintain quality...no lag, transitions are smooth, etc. Samsung will say it all works on older devices but they don't care about smooth performance because android has always been more clunky compared to iOS.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)