Seventh iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 betas land as public release nears

The seventh developer betas of iOS 18.1, and iPadOS 18.1 arrive after the sixth respective builds, as well as the fourth builds of visionOS 2.1, tvOS 18.1, and watchOS 11.1, which arrived on October 7.

The difference in build counts is due to Apple beta testing tvOS 18, watchOS 11, and visionOS 2 at the same time as the Apple Intelligence-infused iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1. It had two iOS, iPadOS, and macOS beta tracks, covering the 18 and 18.1 versions.

Normally, Apple includes macOS Sequoia 15.1 with iOS and iPadOS, but it hasn't included that build at the time of publication.

The new iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 build numbers are both 22B5075a.

The primary difference between the iOS 18.1 and 18 operating system versions is the addition of Apple Intelligence, which includes generative AI and machine learning features. However, not all Apple Intelligence features will be available when it is eventually released.

Initial Apple Intelligence features put to testing included a new Siri animation, Type to Siri, a better understanding of queries and contextual awareness, product knowledge, and a swathe of writing tools.

The third developer beta brought with it Clean Up for Photos, which lets users remove unwanted elements from images.

In the fifth build, Apple's iOS 18.1 changes were largely nothing to do with Apple Intelligence. The changes included enabling file drag and drop with the iPhone Mirroring feature of macOS, a new selfie option for Camera Control, and adjustments to Control Center.

The sixth iOS 18.1 build concentrated on sleep apnea detection, connectivity and Measure toggles in Control Center, and other features instead of Apple Intelligence specifically.

AppleInsider and Apple strongly advise that users do not install test operating systems or other beta or RC software onto "mission-critical" or primary hardware, due to the small chance of issues that could result in the loss of data. Testers should therefore use secondary or non-essential devices and make sure they have sufficient backups of any critical data.

Find any changes in the new builds? Reach out to us on Twitter at @AppleInsider or @Andrew_OSU, or send Andrew an email at andrew@AppleInsider.com.