Apple Sets iOS 18.1 Release Date – What to Expect!

Apple has just officially announced that the final version of iOS 18.1 will be released next week, likely alongside a Release Candidate (RC) version today. There will also be a comprehensive firmware update for the AirPods Pro 2.

A busy week lies ahead of us

According to two American media outlets The edge And The Wall Street JournalApple confirmed that new health features will be rolling out to the AirPods Pro 2 next week alongside the iOS 18.1 update. This is the first official confirmation that the update will be released next week.

Excluding October 31st (due to earnings results) and November 1st, expected release dates are Monday, October 28th, Tuesday, October 29th or Wednesday, October 30th. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman speculates that Monday could be the day, given Apple’s usual scheduling. It’s going to be a hectic week indeed as Apple is also set to unveil its first Mac M4 computers!

What’s new in iOS 18.1?

For those in the US (the only ones with access to Apple Intelligence), the update includes some minor improvements to Siri, a better understanding of user requests, the introduction of initial writing tools, summary features/suggested replies for Messages, Mail and other apps, a new cleanup tool in the Photos app (which can remove unwanted people or objects from photos and use generative AI to fill in the background), the ability to create a memory movie in Photos through a simple command prompt, record and transcribe phone calls, and a new Focus mode .

Additional features will be released every two months. Image Playground, Genmojis and ChatGPT are expected to release with iOS 18.2 in December. The highly anticipated intelligent Siri is expected in March with iOS 18.4, which is expected to be ready internally in early February.

What about the AirPods Pro 2?

This fall, the AirPods Pro 2 improve health features, Introducing an active noise cancellation feature (“Loud Sound Reduction”), a scientifically validated hearing test and a “medical hearing aid” option. The AirPods 4 will also receive some improvements.

The California-based company implements a three-tiered policy: prevention, detection and support. These themes are reflected in the new features offered. Reminds us of the World Health Organization statistics (Over 1.5 billion people worldwide suffer from hearing loss), Apple cites years of work in hearing health, including the Noise app on Apple Watch, headphone audio levels on iPhone, hearing accessibility features and the Apple Hearing Study.

A significant innovation is this scientifically validated hearing test as Apple tells us. Practically, it is a test that can be carried out at home in just a few minutes using the AirPods Pro and a compatible iPhone or iPad. It uses tonal audiometry and the results are displayed in a simple summary. These are stored privately and securely in the Health app, but can be shared with a doctor.

The AirPods Pro 2 will also offer it Support for people with less than optimal hearing. After the hearing test, users can customize their listening experience with AirPods Pro via their hearing profile. Adjustments made (such as emphasizing certain frequencies) can also be activated for listening to music and making phone calls.