Now that iOS 18 is out, Apple has also expanded its iOS 18.1 beta. Previously, this beta was only available for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, but now iOS 18.1 beta 4 has been released, which is available for all iOS 18-compatible devices.
Of course, the reason Apple limited the beta previously was because the headline feature is Apple Intelligence, and this only works with the iPhone 16 line and the iPhone 15 Pro models. But there’s more here than just Apple Intelligence, including call recording and transcription, and thanks to this latest beta we now know that these features are coming more broadly.
MacRumors has confirmed that these features work on the iPhone 14 Pro, and there have been other user reports suggesting they work on everything from the iPhone XS onwards — that is, all phones that can run iOS 18.
Recordings and transcripts but no summaries
With this latest iOS 18.1 beta, no matter what phone you use, you should be able to tap an icon in the top left corner of the call screen to start a recording. A spoken message will inform everyone on the line that the call is being recorded, and once the call has ended, you'll find the recording and a transcript in the Notes app.
However, while it looks like all recent iPhones will have these features, you'll still need Apple Intelligence to get an AI-generated call summary. So for that, you'll need an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 model.
You also currently need to be in the US, Australia, Mexico, China, Hong Kong, or South Korea to use call recording, but hopefully the feature will become more widely available over time.
And if you don't feel like downloading a beta version, the final version of iOS 18.1 is coming in October, so you won't have to wait long.
