Apple has released beta for iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 to developers. The update is available now over-the-air for iPhone and iPad users.

Before we go into more details – no, this release does not bring Apple Intelligence to more devices. The AI features are officially limited to iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16, and iPhone 16 Pro family of smartphones, while all M1 and later iPad models support it. With the previous beta, Apple released the call recording and transcription feature for all iOS 18 compatible iPhones but we are not hopeful for other AI features.

Installing iOS 18.1 or iPadOS 18.1

Mandatory warning before you proceed: beta builds are inherently unstable by nature. In the worst situations, expect battery drain, bugs, slowdowns, app crashes, and even unwanted device restarts.

If your iPhone or iPad is already enrolled in the developer beta program, simply go to Settings > General > Software Update, and start the download process. Make sure you are:

  • connected a stable Wi-Fi connection
  • have sufficient storage on your device
  • have taken an iCloud backup.

If your device is not enrolled in the developer beta program, fret not, you can either wait for the public beta build, which should be available either later today or this week, or you can simply sign up to Apple Developer Program to register your device. This will allow you to download and install the beta update.

What’s new in iOS 18.1 beta 5?

Now that’s out of the way. Here is what’s new in this beta update:

  • Apple has been actively listening to user feedback and added an option to reset Control Center to its factory default layout.
  • The company has went further and included separate connectivity widgets for Control Center. This means that if you want to have a dedicated toggle to enable or disable Wi-Fi, you can add it. You want a VPN button? Sure, go ahead. Same applies to Cellular and Bluetooth buttons.
  • For Camera Control on iPhone 16 models, there’s a new selfie lens option.

P.S. Apple has also released macOS Sequoia 15.1 Beta 5, watchOS 11.1 Beta 2, tvOS 18.1 Beta 2, and visionOS 2.1 Beta 2 to developers today.

That is all this beta seems to have. We will keep you updated if we find any new features while test driving the new software update on iPhone and iPad.

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