7 cool iOS 18.1 features besides Apple Intelligence to watch out for

Apple is set to release its first major update to iOS 18 this week, in the form of iOS 18.1. The update will bring in several new features and changes, highlighted by Apple Intelligence, of course. However, those waiting for Apple’s big AI assistance features still have to wait a bit longer if they are using any language except English (US).

That’s because Apple Intelligence features like Writing Tools, which rely heavily on language, will only come to English (UK) and other languages later this year, or in early 2025.

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Instead, there are a lot of other cool features and changes in iOS 18.1 that will come to your iPhone with the update that you can get immediately. Here’s a look at seven such features.

Call recording

Call recording support on iPhones has been a dream for many for a while now. That changed earlier this year, when Apple announced that iOS 18 will bring in support for native call recording (without the need for any third-party app). Now, with iOS 18.1, the feature finally goes live, and will add a recording button to the cellular call interface.

More ‘controls’ in the Control Centre

The new customisable Control Centre in iOS 18 is one of the best features to come out in the update. However, it still feels restrictive due to the absence of ‘controls’ for some network connectivity options like Wi-Fi. Now, Apple is set to add some more controls to the layout with the 18.1 update, allowing many to finally have quick access to their most used network options.

Hearing Health Tools for AirPods Pro 2

Not all of Apple’s newer features are about the iPhone. Hearing Health Tools, for instance, will bring multiple health-oriented features to users of the AirPods Pro Gen 2. These include the ability to take a clinically validated hearing test, as well as using the AirPods Pro 2 themselves as over-the-counter hearing aids.

Sleep Apnea Detection

Sleep Apnea Detection is yet another health-oriented feature that iOS 18.1 will support. Users with an Apple Watch Series 9 or above will be able to use the Sleep Apnea Detection feature along with any iPhone that runs iOS 18.1. Do keep in mind though, that you will need to reside in a region where the feature’s addition has already been government-approved.

Wider RCS support

If you struggled to find the toggle to turn on RCS support when iOS 18 came out a few weeks ago, you were not alone. The RCS toggle within the Messages section in the Settings app was not visible for many, because Apple had only expanded RCS support to select cellular carriers, and not all of them. With iOS 18.1, support for more carriers (but not all) is expected to be included.

iPhone Mirroring drag and drop

iPhone Mirroring is one the many cool features that was introduced with iOS 18. It allowed those with MacBooks to remotely view and control their iPhone screens securely, right on their MacBook displays. Now, the feature is set to up the seamlessness game by introducing drag and drop support between the devices.

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That will not only allow you to mirror your iPhone screen on your MacBook, but also drag and drop files and media between them for quick sharing. Super convenient.

Share Apple Music tracks to TikTok

While TikTok remains banned in India, those residing in other regions who happen to use the popular short-format video platform will be glad to know that they will be able to share tracks from Apple Music directly to the platform very soon with iOS 18.

These are the biggest features that are coming to your iPhone with iOS 18.1, an update that is set to go live later this week. Be sure to update your device to get these features when they release, by heading to Settings app and navigating to General > Software Update.