5 Apple Intelligence features you can try right now — and how to turn them on

Apple Intelligence is here — well, kind of. You can play around with the new suite of AI features and test them. However, it's not officially out to the public just yet.

You won't be able to test all of the Apple Intelligence features the Cupertino-based tech giant introduced at WWDC 2024, but you'll get a taste of your iPhone's AI smarts via the iOS 18.1 developer beta that just dropped today. You may be wondering, "Which Apple Intelligence features, exactly, will I get the pleasure of experimenting with in this new beta version?" We've got the answers for you.

5 Apple Intelligence tools you can use right now

Firstly, you'll need to have an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max to use Apple Intelligence. Secondly, follow our guide on how to install the iOS 18.1 developer beta. (Remember that this is a beta, so you should consider backing up your iPhone first because it's likely not quite polished nor refined.)

With that being said, here are the Apple Intelligence tools you can explore right now on the iOS 18.1 developer beta:

Writing tools

Writing Tools allow you to rewrite, proofread, and summarize anywhere in the operating system where there is a text field.

They're automatically available in Apple apps — and third-party apps that use Apple's standard text controls.

Apple Intelligence-powered Siri

Anyone running iOS 18.1 can now use the new Apple Intelligence-powered Siri. Apple's assistant has a new redesign, and as you might have guessed, advanced capabilities. For example, even if you stumble over your words, Siri should still understand the gist of what you're saying. It can also maintain context from one request to the next.

Apple Intelligence-powered Mail

In the Mail app, you'll have the ability to tap into Apple Intelligence to get summaries of messages in your inbox. You will also be able to experiment with the new smart reply feature, which gives you AI-powered suggestions and recommendations on how to best respond to your co-workers, friends, loved ones, and more.

There is also on-device categorization, so your mail will be organized into different sections, including "Primary," "Transactions," "Updates," and "Promotions."

Auto-summarized notifications

On iOS 18.1, you'll be able to test the new Apple-Intelligence-powered notifications, which can now be automatically summarized. In other words, you'll get a quick "Cliffnotes," if you will, of your texts and emails.

Natural language search for Photos app

If you have a massive library of pictures in the Photos app, you no longer have to scroll endlessly to find that one snapshot you forgot to organize into one of your albums.

Instead, you can use natural-language search to find the one you're looking for. With Apple Intelligence, you can also create memory movies on the demand.

How to turn on Apple Intelligence

Once you've got the iOS 18.1 developer beta installed on your iPhone, head to Settings. You'll find an option for Apple Intelligence there. Tap on "Join the Apple Intelligence waitlist." After a few hours or so, you'll gain access to Apple Intelligence.

The official, ready-for-primetime version of iOS 18 is expected to drop later this year.