MacRumors

Apple is expanding its selection of spatial and immersive experiences for the Vision Pro headset with a series of new games, apps, and video content.

Among the newly introduced experiences is a spatial version of "Castle Crumble," a physics-based puzzle game that lets players interact in a 3D environment. Players can use their hands to precisely target the castles' weak points with a variety of powerful explosives, mystical spells, and unlockable boosts. Castle Crumble is available now on the App Store.

"Puzzle Sculpt," another spatial game, is set to release on September 5. Developed by Schell Games, an award-winning studio known for pioneering gameplay with emerging technologies, "Puzzle Sculpt" offers a relaxing, 3D puzzle-solving experience. The game invites players to interact with a variety of puzzles in a fully immersive spatial environment.

Meanwhile, "Immersion Golf" from Tag Heuer takes golf enthusiasts to the next level with detailed 3D maps of nearly 40,000 courses worldwide. The app allows players to preview course layouts and obstacles, providing a comprehensive tool for planning their game strategy.

"Sandblox: The Marble Game" allows players to create and share physics-based puzzles and marble runs using intuitive hand tracking. The game encourages both solo and collaborative play, with users able to build complex structures and share their creations online. "Pinball Nation" transforms living spaces into a virtual 1980s pinball arcade, complete with life-sized virtual tables and realistic gameplay, while "Beat Slash - Mixed" offers a high-energy rhythm game where players use swords to slash beats in time with the music.

Starting September 6, Vision Pro users will also have access to new films and series captured in Apple Immersive Video. This includes the premiere of "Elevated," an aerial travel series that provides viewers with breathtaking views from staggering heights. Available exclusively to U.S. users, "Elevated" aims to transport audiences to iconic vistas around the world. Another notable addition is "4 Minutes Inside Super Bowl LVIII," a short film that offers an immersive glimpse into the intense atmosphere of the Super Bowl LVIII, where the Kansas City Chiefs faced off against the San Francisco 49ers. This film will be available to a global audience.

On the same day, Vision Pro users worldwide will also be able to watch the first episode of "Boundless," titled "Hot Air Balloons," and the second episode of "Wild Life," focusing on elephants.

Popular Vision Pro apps are also receiving significant updates. The PGA TOUR app now features SharePlay support, enabling users to watch every hole, follow the leaderboard, and examine every shot in 3D. Meanwhile, "Synth Riders," available on Apple Arcade, has been enhanced with a new Adrenaline Pack, adding high-energy punk and ska music to its existing eclectic mix.

Amazon is set to release a revamped version of its Alexa voice assistant this October that will be powered by AI models from Anthropic's Claude, rather than Amazon's in-house AI technology, reports Reuters.

The decision to use Claude's AI models comes after Amazon's internal software reportedly struggled with performance issues during initial testing. Sources who spoke to Reuters claim that early versions using Amazon's own AI had difficulty responding promptly, sometimes taking up to 6-7 seconds to acknowledge and reply to prompts.

This new AI-enhanced "Remarkable" Alexa is expected to offer more advanced capabilities compared to the current version. Users will reportedly be able to engage in more complex, context-aware conversations with the assistant.

Some potential features include providing shopping advice for specific scenarios like vacation clothing recommendations, aggregating news stories, executing multi-step tasks from a single prompt such as ordering food or drafting emails, and enhanced home automation with improved ability to remember and apply user preferences.

Amazon plans to offer this upgraded "Remarkable" Alexa as a paid subscription service, with pricing anticipated to be between $5 to $10 per month. In other words, it won't be included in existing Prime memberships. The existing "Classic" Alexa service will remain available for free.

The move to partner with Anthropic for AI technology contrasts with Amazon's typical strategy of relying on in-house developments, but similar partnerships such as Microsoft and Apple's collaborations with OpenAI for ChatGPT integration indicate a broader shift in the tech industry.

Amazon has invested $4 billion in Anthropic, which may have influenced this decision, but the full details of the agreement between the two companies regarding the use of Claude in Alexa have not been disclosed.

Industry analysts estimate that there are approximately 100 million active Alexa users. If 10% of these users opt for the paid version, it could potentially generate at least $600 million in annual revenue for Amazon, assuming the lower end of the expected price range.

The launch of this new Alexa comes at a critical time for Amazon's voice assistant division. Despite Alexa's widespread adoption, with Amazon claiming 500 million Alexa-enabled devices sold, it has struggled to generate significant revenue. Amazon's leadership has reportedly emphasized that 2024 is a crucial year for Alexa to demonstrate its ability to drive meaningful sales.

While Amazon has confirmed its use of various AI models, including its own Titan model and those from partners, it has not specifically commented on the use of Claude for the new Alexa. The official unveiling of the new AI-powered Alexa is expected to take place at Amazon's annual devices and services event, typically held in September.

Spotify says users on iPhone will no longer be able to control the volume of connected devices using their physical volume buttons after Apple "discontinued" the technology that enables the functionality. The change impacts Spotify Connect, a feature that allows users to control Spotify playback on various devices like speakers, game consoles, and smart TVs.

The streaming giant claims that the previous method had become unstable, leading to issues such as volume spikes during playback. As a result, iPhone users will now have to resort to an in-app slider to adjust volume, a change that Spotify is calling a "workaround," reports The Verge.

To use the new volume control, iPhone owners will need to tap a notification that appears when they press the physical volume buttons. This notification will prompt them to use the in-app slider. Spotify claims that the new solution will provide "persistent, high-quality" volume control, despite the extra steps involved for users. The change is set to take effect on September 3, but some users are reportedly already seeing it.

Spotify claims that Apple is refusing to grant access to the same technology that allows Apple Music to play on third-party devices. In a continuation of long-held tensions between the two companies, the streaming service has gone as far as suggesting that this could violate the EU's Digital Markets Act, which requires major platforms to open up to third-party services.

"We've made requests to Apple to introduce a similar solution to what they offer users on HomePod and Apple TV for app developers who control non-Apple media devices," Spotify said in its update. "Apple has told us that they require apps to integrate into HomePod in order to access the technology that controls volume on iPhones."

Apple actually offers an API for third-party music services to stream directly to HomePods, but for whatever reason Spotify has chosen not to implement it. Fortunately, iPhone users running iOS 17 can still start an AirPlay session on HomePod using a Siri command (e.g. "Siri, play Fleetwood Mac on Spotify"). It's worth noting that this change only affects Spotify Connect on iOS. Spotify users controlling volume via Bluetooth or AirPlay will not be impacted.

For over two decades, the MacRumors Buyer's Guide has served as a valuable resource for keeping track of when Apple products were last updated.

Below, we have highlighted five current-generation Apple products that have not received hardware upgrades in several years. We also provide some purchasing recommendations based on both rumors and our own opinions.

This list excludes previous-generation Apple products still sold, such as the iPhone 13, along with various accessories and cables.

Pro Display XDR

Apple released the Pro Display XDR in December 2019, so it will be five years old later this year. The high-end monitor starts at $4,999 and features a 32-inch screen size with 6K resolution, but it lacks a built-in camera and speakers.

In December 2022, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was working on multiple new external monitors, including an updated version of the Pro Display XDR that will be equipped with an Apple silicon chip, just like the Studio Display with the A13 chip. However, it's unclear when the new Pro Display XDR will be released or what other new features it will have.

Age: 4 years and 8 months

Recommendation: Given how expensive the Pro Display XDR is, it is worth waiting for the next model at this point. Also consider the Studio Display, which is over two years newer, more affordable, and has a built-in camera and speakers.

HomePod mini

Released in November 2020, the HomePod mini is also nearly four years old. The smaller Siri-enabled smart speaker has not received any hardware updates since launching, although it did get Blue, Orange, and Yellow color options in November 2021, and Space Gray was replaced with a virtually-identical Midnight finish a few months ago.

In February 2023, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said mass shipments of a second-generation HomePod mini would begin in the second half of 2024, but it is unclear if that info is still accurate, as there have not been any recent HomePod mini rumors.

Age: 3 years and 9 months

Recommendation: Given there was a rumor that a new HomePod mini might be released later this year, it might be best to hold off for three to four more months to see if that happens. However, given the HomePod mini is a modest $99, there is not too much harm in purchasing one now if you don't want to wait.

AirPods Max

Released in December 2020, the AirPods Max will turn four years old later this year. Apple's over-ear headphones have not received any hardware updates since, and remain priced at $549 on Apple's online store, with five color options available.

Age: 3 years and 8 months

Recommendation: We recommend waiting for the AirPods Max with a USB-C port to launch later this year, but the headphones will still more or less be four years old beyond that change, so you may wish to consider newer competing options, such as the Sony XM5, Bose QuietComfort Ultra, and Sonos Ace. Amazon does have the AirPods Max on sale for $399 if you are interested in purchasing them now at a discount.

iPad mini

Apple released the current iPad mini in September 2021, with new features at the time including a larger 8.3-inch display, a USB-C port, a Touch ID power button, the A15 Bionic chip, 5G support on cellular models, a 12-megapixel rear camera with Center Stage support, compatibility with the second-generation Apple Pencil, and more.

In November 2023, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said mass production of the next iPad mini would begin in the second half of 2024. More recently, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said inventory of the current iPad mini‌ was starting to dwindle at Apple Stores, which could be a sign that the device will be updated in the near future.

Rumored features for the next iPad mini include a newer chip, upgraded cameras, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 support, new color options, and a fix for the so-called "jelly scrolling" effect on the current model's display.

Age: 2 years and 11 months

Recommendation: At this point, we suggest waiting for the new iPad mini that is rumored to launch later this year.

AirPods 3

Released in October 2021, the third-generation AirPods are nearly three years old.

Two new fourth-generation AirPods models are expected to be unveiled at Apple's special event on September 9, with both options rumored to feature a tweaked design with better fit in the ear, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C port. The higher-end AirPods 4 are also said to feature active noise cancellation, and a speaker in the charging case that can play a sound for Find My location tracking.

Age: 2 years and 10 months

Recommendation: Do not buy! Apple is expected to announce the fourth-generation AirPods in less than two weeks.

Apple is in talks to invest in artificial intelligence company OpenAI, according to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal.

The report did not indicate how much money Apple would be investing in OpenAI, or provide any additional details about the discussions, but it said this latest fundraising round would value the ChatGPT maker above $100 billion.

Apple previously announced that ChatGPT integration is coming to Siri on iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia before the end of the year.

With user permission, Siri will be able to show ChatGPT answers directly in response to questions and other prompts. ChatGPT will also be an option for Apple's system-wide Writing Tools feature, allowing users to generate text and images. Apple said ChatGPT will be powered by OpenAI's latest GPT-4o model on its platforms.

iPhone, iPad, and Mac users will be able to use ChatGPT for free, without creating an account, and ChatGPT Plus subscribers will be able to connect their accounts to access paid features on these devices. Apple said OpenAI will not store ChatGPT requests made from its devices, and it said users' IP addresses will be obscured.

Apple Intelligence features started rolling out to developers for testing in the iOS 18.1 beta last month, but ChatGPT integration is not available yet.

Apple Intelligence features require an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, or a Mac or iPad equipped with an M1 chip or newer. The device's language must be set to U.S. English, with support for additional languages to roll out over the next year.

Microsoft is also planning to further invest in OpenAI, the report said.

Apple today announced several new features and changes coming to its Sports app on the iPhone.

Starting with iOS 18 and watchOS 11, the Apple Sports app will offer Live Activities for all teams and leagues available in the app, according to Apple. Live Activities provides live scores and play-by-play information at a glance on the iPhone's Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island on newer models, and on the Apple Watch.

Apple added that Live Activities will no longer be available in the Apple TV app with iOS 18.

Apple said the Sports app has also been optimized for the latest NFL and college football seasons. The app now offers "quick access to scoring drives presented alongside the view of every game play," along with a new dynamic drive tracker that "lets fans visualize where the ball is on the field at any time," the press release said.

In addition, Apple said the app will be updated later this year with a new drop-down navigation and enhanced search functionality.

Apple Sports provides scores and more for the following leagues:

• NFL
• NCAAF
• MLS
• MLB
• NBA
• WNBA
• NCAA basketball (men's and women's)
• NHL
• NWSL
• Premier League
• Bundesliga
• LaLiga
• Liga MX
• Ligue 1
• Serie A

Apple said additional leagues will become available in the app over time, including Champions League and Europa League.

Apple Sports is a free app available in the App Store.

It has been nearly two years since the Apple TV last received a hardware upgrade, so you may be wondering when a new model will be released.

Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV.

In January 2023, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that a new Apple TV was on track for release in the first half of 2024:

Beyond the future smart displays and new speaker, Apple is working on revamping its TV box. A new version with the current design is in the works for the first half of next year with a faster processor, the people said.

The first half of 2024 passed by without a new Apple TV, so that rumor has expired, and there have been no credible rumors about the device since. As such, it is currently unclear when the next Apple TV will be released.

Apple recently announced that it will be holding a special event on September 9, but the only products firmly rumored to be unveiled then include new iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods, with no expectation of a new Apple TV so far.

Here is when the previous five Apple TV models were announced:

• Third-generation Apple TV 4K: October 2022
• Second-generation Apple TV 4K: April 2021
• First-generation Apple TV 4K: September 2017
• Apple TV HD: September 2015
• Third-generation Apple TV: March 2012

Whenever it comes out, the next Apple TV is rumored to feature a faster processor than the current A15 Bionic chip, and even lower pricing. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested that the next Apple TV could have a sub-$100 starting price. The current Apple TV starts at $129 in the U.S. with 64GB of storage, and a 128GB model is available for $149.

Both the second-generation (2010) and third-generation (2012) models of the Apple TV were priced at $99 in the U.S. at launch, and Apple eventually lowered the price of the third-generation model to $69, so there is precedent for a sub-$100 Apple TV that would better compete with low-priced streaming devices sold by the likes of Amazon and Roku.

No major design changes have been rumored for the next Apple TV specifically, but Gurman said Apple has considered adding a built-in camera to a future model. tvOS 17 added a FaceTime app to the Apple TV, allowing for users to have video calls by using the rear camera on a connected iPhone or iPad. If the Apple TV gained a built-in camera, users would no longer need to rely on an external device for video calls on the TV.

Apple in the latest iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 betas no longer requires users to set their device region to the United States, so now it's just the US English language requirement that remains.

In previous betas, users not only had to change Siri's language to the US to access Apple Intelligence, but they also had to change both their device region and language to the US as well.

However, as per the latest release notes and spotted by 9to5Mac, the requirement to change device region to US appears to have been dropped, which means things like measurement system, temperature, and calendar formatting can remain unchanged with Apple Intelligence enabled.

In other words, users running the third betas of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 only have to ensure that English is their preferred language in Settings ➝ General ➝ Language & Region, and that English (United States) is the set Siri language in Settings ➝ Apple Intelligence & Siri.

With those two settings in place, users outside of the US can opt to join the Apple Intelligence waitlist, which in most cases gets accepted in just a few minutes. Note that Apple Intelligence remains unavailable in China, while users in the EU must still have a device signed in with a US App Store ID.

Apple Intelligence encompasses a range of capabilities, including composing text and emails, automating actions across various apps, generating images, summarizing documents and texts, and more.

• How to Enable Apple Intelligence If You're Outside the US

These features require a lot of on-device computing power, so before you do anything, it's worth checking if your device is compatible. iPhone users need either an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max to run Apple Intelligence, while only iPads and Macs powered by M1 or later Apple silicon processors are compatible.

Just a day after a noted leaker on Chinese microblogging site Weibo suggested the iPhone 17 lineup in 2025 could see an upgrade to 12GB of RAM across the board, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed that the upgrade will be limited to the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

If Kuo is correct, it means the smaller ‌iPhone 17‌ Pro, the base ‌iPhone 17‌, and the all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" will stick with the 8GB figure rumored for the entire iPhone 16 lineup this year. The fourth-generation iPhone SE expected in early 2025 will reportedly also carry 8GB of RAM.

The amount of RAM in Apple's devices is currently of increased importance, as Apple has judged that 8GB is the minimum required for the Apple Intelligence features coming in iOS 18, which means only the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max of Apple's current phones will support them. The ‌iPhone 15‌ and 15 Plus carry only 6GB of RAM.

While a move to 8GB across the board starting with next month's ‌iPhone 16‌ lineup will enable all new iPhones to support ‌Apple Intelligence‌ going forward, a further bump to 12GB would likely allow for even more powerful AI capabilities, but it now appears that may be limited to Apple's highest-end model in 2025.

Aside from the increased 12GB of RAM, Kuo says the ‌iPhone 17‌ Pro Max will also have an exclusive cooling system combining vapor chamber technology with graphite sheets. The other new iPhone models launching in 2025 will rely solely on graphite sheets for cooling.

Today marks the 15th anniversary of Apple releasing Mac OS X Snow Leopard, which became available to purchase for $29 on August 28, 2009.

After advertising Mac OS X Leopard as having "over 300 new features" in 2007, Apple previewed Snow Leopard at WWDC 2008. Notably, during that year's "State of the Union" session, Apple showed a presentation slide that said the update had "0 new features," as Apple opted to focus on under-the-hood performance and stability improvements.

"We've built on the success of Leopard and created an even better experience for our users from installation to shutdown," said Apple's former software engineering chief Bertrand Serlet. "Apple engineers have made hundreds of improvements so with Snow Leopard your system is going to feel faster, more responsive and even more reliable than before."

With Snow Leopard, Apple said it refined 90% of the foundational "projects" that were built into Mac OS X. Apple pitched the update as offering a more responsive Finder app, an improved Mail app that loads emails up to twice as fast as before, up to 80% faster Time Machine backups, and a 64-bit version of Safari that was up to 50% faster than the previous version. Snow Leopard also took up around half as much disk space as Leopard.

You can watch Serlet speak more about Snow Leopard at WWDC 2009 below.

Apple's Beats brand is partnering with Japanese graphic artist Verdy for a limited edition collectible art figure that doubles as a holder for the new Beats Pill speaker. The $500 hyper-limited drop includes a matte black Beats Pill and a cream-colored bear named Vear that holds the speaker between its paws.

Beats has a tradition of fun characters associated with the Beats Pill, including ad campaigns and speaker stands for previous models centered around the Beats Pill Characters or "Dudes" in various colors. Apple revived the Dudes for the launch of the updated Beats Pill this year, so the new Vear character fits right into that theme even though it won't be seeing a wide release.

Beats and Verdy also have a history of collaborations, most recently in 2023 for Beats Flex earphones themed around Verdy's Girls Don't Cry brand.

The Vear and Beats Pill bundle will be available to order this Friday, August 30, exclusively through Complex, with shipping following in two to three weeks.

Apple today provided developers with the third beta of iOS 18.1, and it adds Clean Up, a new Apple Intelligence tool created for the Photos app. With Clean Up, you can remove unwanted objects from your photos, but its performance is hit or miss right now.

When you tap into any of your photos and then tap on the edit button, you'll see a new "Clean Up" tool that has an eraser icon. Tap on that, and if there's something obvious that can be removed from the image, it'll be automatically highlighted.

You can tap on the highlighted object to remove it, and it works like magic. If there isn't something automatically highlighted, don't worry, you can circle or scribble on any object in the photo to use Clean Up on it.

With the automatically highlighted objects, Clean Up works well. Apple has already done all the work in the background to find depth information and to calculate the fill the object should be replaced with. When you're selecting your own objects, it can be a little more difficult to get a clean look.

Clean Up works best when there's a clear, uncluttered background behind the object that you want to remove, and the smaller the object the better. Trying to remove a whole person from the foreground of image (such as in a group shot) with a lot going on in the background doesn't work super well, but it's really more designed for small, unwanted objects in the background of images anyway.

You can go through multiple iterations of Clean Up to try to get it to look better, and to remove small areas, just zoom in and then circle.

Clean Up can't be used on Live Photos, and when you use Clean Up, it turns off ‌Live Photos‌. You can turn ‌Live Photos‌ back on, but then you lose the Clean Up edit. You also can't use Clean Up on videos, but it does work on all other kinds of images, including screenshots, old photos, and photos you didn't take with your iPhone.

For quick edits on an ‌iPhone‌, Clean Up works well. It's not on par with some other desktop tools at this time, but Apple will undoubtedly make improvements going forward. Also, when you use Clean Up, a note is added to the metadata that lets you know that an AI edit has been made, so people will be able to see that it's been modified.

All Clean Up edits are reversible, so if you want to get back to your original image, you can revert at any time.

Other New Features in iOS 18.1 Beta 3

Along with Cleanup, iOS 18.1 beta 3 adds a couple of other features. The notification summary feature that was previously working for Mail and Messages now works for all of your apps, so you can see summaries of both multiple incoming messages and single notifications, giving you more information at a glance.

Also, in the Messages app, you can now use third-party stickers in-line like emoji. This was a feature in prior betas, but it only worked with stickers from Apple apps and stickers you created from photos.

As a result of the first Apple Intelligence features being delayed, iOS 18 and iOS 18.1 are currently in beta testing simultaneously.

Below, we explain the differences between the two upcoming software updates, including new features and estimated release timing.

New Features

iOS 18.0

iOS 18 introduces new customization options for the Home Screen and Control Center, a redesigned Photos app, numerous enhancements to the Messages app, an option to lock apps behind Face ID or Touch ID, and much more.

The highlight of iOS 18 is Apple Intelligence, but the rollout of these artificial intelligence features was pushed back to iOS 18.1.

Read our in-depth iOS 18 roundup to learn more about the update.

iOS 18.1

The first iOS 18.1 developer beta added some Apple Intelligence features for testing, including new writing tools for generating and summarizing text, suggested replies in the Messages app, email summarization, phone call recording and transcribing, and a few others.

The third iOS 18.1 developer beta added a few more Apple Intelligence features, including a "Clean Up" tool in the Photos app that "can identify and remove distracting objects in the background of a photo," and notification summaries for additional apps beyond Mail and Messages.

Apple Intelligence features that are still not available to try include Image Playground for custom-generated images, Genmoji for custom-generated emoji, and several enhancements to Siri, including ChatGPT integration, richer language understanding, deeper per-app controls, on-screen awareness, and personalized context.

Release Timing

iOS 18.0

iOS 18 will likely be released in mid-September, based on the timing of previous major releases:

• iOS 17: September 18, 2023
• iOS 16: September 12, 2022
• iOS 15: September 20, 2021
• iOS 14: September 16, 2020

iOS 18.1

iOS 18.1 will likely be released in late October, based on the timing of previous similar updates:

• iOS 17.1: October 25, 2023
• iOS 16.1: October 24, 2022
• iOS 15.1: October 25, 2021
• iOS 14.1: October 20, 2020

Latest Versions

As of August 28 at 12:55 p.m. Pacific Time, the latest iOS 18 and iOS 18.1 betas are as follows:

• iOS 18 Developer Beta 8
• iOS 18 Public Beta 5
• iOS 18.1 Developer Beta 3
• iOS 18.1 Public Beta not currently available

How to Install Betas

Developer Betas

iOS 18 and iOS 18.1 are both available as developer betas.

To enroll in Apple's developer beta program, visit developer.apple.com, sign in to your Apple ID, and accept the terms and conditions of the Apple Developer Agreement.

Since 2023, installing iOS developer betas no longer requires being enrolled in the Apple Developer Program for $99/year. Anyone with an Apple ID can accept the Apple Developer Agreement and access the betas for free.

After accepting the agreement, open the Settings app on your iPhone and tap General → Software Update → Beta Updates. This is where the iOS 18 and iOS 18.1 developer betas are listed, and you can tap on one to begin the installation process. Note that the iPhone must be signed in to the same Apple ID set up as a developer account.

Due to software bugs and other potential issues, we recommend installing the iOS 18 or iOS 18.1 betas on a secondary iPhone, rather than the device that you use daily. We also highly recommend backing up your iPhone to your Mac before installing beta software on the device, to prevent data loss in the event something goes wrong.

Step-by-step guide: How to Get the iOS 18 Developer Beta on Your iPhone

Public Betas

iOS 18 is available as a public beta, but iOS 18.1 is not currently.

To enroll in Apple's free public beta program, visit beta.apple.com, sign in to your Apple ID, and accept the terms and conditions.

After signing up, open the Settings app on your iPhone and tap General → Software Update → Beta Updates. This is where the iOS 18 public beta is listed, and you can tap on it to begin the installation process. Note that the iPhone must be signed in to the same Apple ID enrolled in the public beta program.

Due to software bugs and other potential issues, we recommend installing the iOS 18 public beta on a secondary iPhone, rather than the device that you use daily. We also highly recommend backing up your iPhone to your Mac before installing beta software on the device, to prevent data loss in the event something goes wrong.

Step-by-step guide: How to Install the iOS 18 Public Beta

Compatible iPhones

iOS 18 is compatible with the same iPhone models as iOS 17 is:

iPhone 15
iPhone 15 Plus
iPhone 15 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPhone 14
iPhone 14 Plus
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro Max
iPhone 13 mini
iPhone 13
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 13 Pro Max

While the iOS 18.1 beta is currently limited to the iPhone 15 Pro models, the update should be released for all of the iPhones listed above eventually. However, Apple Intelligence features will remain exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro models and newer.

With the third beta of iOS 18.1, Apple has introduced new Apple Intelligence features for notifications. The notification summarization option that was previously available for the Mail and Messages apps now works with all of your apps.

After updating to the latest beta, there is an ‌Apple Intelligence‌ setup flow that walks through some of the new features and includes settings for the Summarize Notification Previews section.

During setup, you can opt to summarize all of your notification previews or choose which apps should use the summarization feature. After setup, these preferences can be tweaked in the Summarize Previews of the Settings app under the Notifications heading.

Notification summarization allows ‌Apple Intelligence‌ to glean key details from groups of notifications from an app, making them more succinct so you can see what's important at a glance. From the Settings app:

Summarize content in direct messages and groups of notifications making them more succinct and easier to read. Summary accuracy may vary based on content.

There are individual toggles to enable or disable summarization on a per-app basis, and it can also be entirely disabled for those who do not want to use the feature.

You will see notification summaries on the Lock Screen, and it is a feature that pairs well with the new Reduce Interruptions Focus Mode.

As with other ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features, notification summarization requires a device that can run ‌Apple Intelligence‌, aka the iPhone 15 Pro models or an iPad or Mac with an M-series chip. The functionality is limited to developers who have installed the third beta of iOS 18.1 at the current time, but ‌Apple Intelligence‌ will see a public release later this year.

Today's beta also adds the Clean Up object removal tool to the Photos app.

The third beta of iOS 18.1 that Apple provided to developers today includes a new Apple Intelligence feature for the Photos app. Clean Up can be used to remove distracting objects from the background of a photo while leaving the subject of the image intact.

The Clean Up tool in the ‌Photos‌ app is able to automatically detect objects in an image that might not be wanted, but users can also tap, circle, or brush over an unwanted object to remove it.

Zooming in on an image can help with using a finger as a brush to remove smaller blemishes and issues with an image, and it is intelligent enough not to remove part of a person even if a person or main subject is selected.

Clean Up works on all images in the ‌Photos‌ library, including older images and images captured by other devices like a point and shoot camera or a DSLR.

Apple says that Clean Up works using multiple machine learning models to detect distractions, determine the where the edges of an object are, and then fill in the area seamlessly to replace the unwanted object, even filling in the object's shadow or reflection.

The update also includes notification summaries for additional apps beyond Messages and Mail.

Apple today provided developers with the third betas of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 to continue testing Apple Intelligence features. The third betas come two weeks after Apple seeded the second iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.1 betas.

A device capable of supporting ‌Apple Intelligence‌ is required to download the updates, which includes the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, Apple silicon iPads, and Apple silicon Macs. The updates can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device, with developers able to choose between the standard iOS 18/iPadOS 18/‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15 betas or the .1 betas with ‌Apple Intelligence‌ functionality.

‌Apple Intelligence‌ includes Writing Tools that are available wherever text can be selected and edited, and it can be used for spell checking, fixing grammar, rewriting with a new tone, and summarizing text.

Siri has a new design with a subtle glow around the display, and there is a Type to ‌Siri‌ feature so you don't have to speak to ‌Siri‌. ‌Siri‌ can follow along if you stumble over your words, and can maintain context between requests. Safari can summarize articles, and there's a new Reduce Interruptions Focus Mode.

Smart replies are available in Messages and Mail, plus the Mail app surfaces time sensitive messages and puts them at the top of your inbox. Photos has a Memory Movie feature for creating slideshows based on text descriptions, and you can record, transcribe, and summarize phone calls. Transcription and summarization are also available for any audio recording.

More on all of the features that are available in the betas right now can be found in our Apple Intelligence guide. Image Playground, Genmoji, and other new ‌Siri‌ features have not yet been implemented.

Apple has split ‌Apple Intelligence‌ into a separate set of betas because these features will not be available in the initial launch versions of ‌iOS 18‌, ‌iPadOS 18‌, and ‌macOS Sequoia‌. ‌Apple Intelligence‌ will be available to the public later in the fall after a developer testing period.

Apple today seeded the eighth betas of upcoming iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after the release of the seventh betas.

Registered developers are able to opt into the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to the Software Update section, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option, and toggling on the ‌‌iOS 18‌/‌iPadOS 18‌‌ Developer Beta setting. Note that an Apple ID associated with a developer account is required to download and install the beta. The ‌iOS 18‌ and ‌iPadOS 18‌ beta track is now separate from the iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 beta track, with the .1 betas adding support for Apple Intelligence on devices that are able to run the features.

‌iOS 18‌ introduces ‌Apple Intelligence‌, a set of AI features that are built deeply into the operating system. ‌Apple Intelligence‌ won't be coming until later in the beta testing process, but it includes features for refining and editing writing, generating images and emoji, and most notably, improving Siri and search. ‌Siri‌ is gaining a better understanding of natural language, improved contextual awareness, and the personal assistant will integrate with ChatGPT to answer more complex queries.

‌Apple Intelligence‌ features are limited to the iPhone 15 Pro models and iPads with an M-series chip, but there are a number of other features that are coming. Apple is allowing users to rearrange Home screen apps to have open spaces, plus there's a dark mode for app icons and tinting options.

The Control Center is customizable and third-party developers can add controls for their apps, with the Lock Screen Flashlight and Camera icons able to be replaced or removed. Messages is gaining Rich Communication Services support to improve conversations with Android users, the option to schedule texts to be sent later, new text effects, messages over satellite when there's no cellular, and the option to use any emoji for Tapback responses.

There's a dedicated Passwords app for logins, passkeys, Wi-Fi passwords, and verification codes, and there's now an option to lock and hide apps, which means they can't be opened without secondary Face ID or Touch ID authentication even when your phone is unlocked.

Safari has a highlights feature that summarizes articles and surfaces key information on websites, the Photos app interface has been overhauled, and there's a new Tap to Cash feature for privately and securely transferring money using Apple Cash. Other features include equation solving and voice memo transcription in Notes, a game mode for improving game performance, and an option to respond to ‌Siri‌ on AirPods with head gestures.

Apple will release ‌iOS 18‌ and ‌iPadOS 18‌ to the public this fall.