5th Beta of iOS 18.1, MacOS Sequoia 15.1, iPadOS 18.1 with Apple Intelligence, Available for Testing

Apple has released the 5th beta versions of iOS 18.1, macOS Sequoia 15.1, and iPadOS 18.1, with Apple Intelligence support.

The Apple Intelligence features that are included with these releases are mostly Writing Tools, summaries, and new Siri features, which allow you to do things like summarize emails, offer Smart Replies in Mail and Messages, and re-write selected text into different tones and styles. Absent from these system software versions are other Apple Intelligence features like AI image generation with Image Playground, and Genmoji to create your own emoji. Those AI features are likely to come later, perhaps in iOS 18.2 and MacOS Sequoia 15.2, or later. It’s important to remember that Apple Intelligence has very strict system requirements particularly for iPhone, requiring iPhone 15 Pro or better, and an M1 or better chip on iPad or Mac.

Another notable feature inclusion with MacOS Sequoia 15.1 beta 5 and iOS 18.1 beta 5 is that you can now drag and drop files and data between iPhone and Mac when using iPhone Mirroring, one of the most useful features included in MacOS Sequoia.

If you are enrolled in the developer or public beta testing program you can download iOS/iPadOS 18.1 beta 5 and macOS Sequoia 15.1 beta 5 right away from Software Update.

How to Install iOS 18.1 Beta 5 / iPadOS 18.1 Beta 5

1. Open “Settings” and then head on over to “General”
2. Go to “Software Update”
3. Choose to update to iOS 18.1 beta 5 / iPadOS 18.1 beta 5

How to Install MacOS Sequoia 15.1 Beta 5

1. From the  Apple menu, select “System Settings”
2. Go to “General”, and then to “Software Update”
3. Choose “Update Now” to install MacOS Sequoia 15.1 beta 5

If this is the first time you have installed iOS/iPadOS 18.1 beta or Sequoia 15.1 beta, you then need to return to System Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri > and join the waitlist to get access to Apple Intelligence. The waitlist for most users is quite fast, and you may be approved in minutes to hours. After that, you can enable Apple Intelligence, and then access the writing tools, summaries, and other features.

When will Apple Intelligence be released?

Apple Intelligence features will come to iOS 18.1, iPadoS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1, this October, according to Apple. The beta cycle has sped up, so it’s possible we will see these software updates available in a few weeks.

Since not all AI features will debut initially, it’s assumed that later updates to these versions of system software will continue to bring new Apple Intelligence features as well, perhaps in iOS/iPadOS 18.2, macOS 15.2, etc.