Apple finally releases the iPhone’s most anticipated feature

Apple has finally released the new iPhone’s most anticipated feature.
Earlier this year, the company launched Apple Intelligence, its new suite of AI features. It said at the time that the first of them would be coming later this year.
Those new features were a key part of the introduction of the iPhone 16, last month. But, at launch, all of those features were missing.
Now Apple has released the first of them, in the free new iOS 18.1 update. It can be downloaded through the Settings app now, or will prompt users to install it overnight.
But it will only bring Apple Intelligence to small numbers of users. For the iPhone, it is only available on the new iPhone 16 line-up as well as last year’s iPhone 15 Pro – and, for now, the tools are only available for devices that are set to the US.
The new update also does not bring all of the newly announced features. While it includes tools such as notification summaries, writing tools and a new look for Siri, many of the bigger updates are yet to arrive.
In the coming months, Apple is set to reveal new generative AI features such as a “genmoji” app for making new emoji. And Apple has promised a total overhaul of Siri, so that it can use more personal context, in the future.
Some of the same features are arriving with new updates on the iPad and Mac. iPad OS 18.1 and MacOS 15.1 are also available to download now and bring Apple Intelligence tools to those platforms.
The iPad and Mac devices that can support Apple Intelligence are more various. They will come to every iPad and Mac with the M1 chip or later, as well as the new iPad Mini that was specifically built for those tools.