The latest iOS 18.1 beta brings call recording and transcribing to more iPhones
But you still need Apple Intelligence for summaries
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WithiOS 18now out in the wild,Applehas also expanded its iOS 18.1 beta. Previously, this beta was only available on theiPhone 15 ProandiPhone 15 Pro Max, but now beta 4 of iOS 18.1 has rolled out, and this is available for every device capable of running iOS 18.
Of course, the reason Apple limited the beta previously was because the headline feature isApple Intelligence, and this only works with theiPhone 16line and the iPhone 15 Pro models. But there’s more here than just Apple Intelligence, including call recording and transcribing, and thanks to this latest beta we now know these features will be more widely available.
MacRumorshas confirmed that these features work on theiPhone 14 Pro, and there have been other user reports suggesting that they work on everything from the iPhone XS onwards – which is to say, every phone that can run iOS 18.
Recordings and transcripts but no summaries
With this latest iOS 18.1 beta then, no matter what phone you’re using 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 then inform everyone on the line that the call is being recorded, and once the call is over you’ll find the recording and a transcript in the Notes app.
However, while it seems all recent iPhones will get these features, you will still need Apple Intelligence to get an AI-generated summary of the call. So for that you need an iPhone 15 Pro, an iPhone 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 model.
You also currently need to be in the U.S., Australia, Mexico, China, Hong Kong, or South Korea to use call recording at all, but hopefully the feature will be made more widely available over time.
And if you don’t fancy grabbing a beta, the finished version of iOS 18.1 is set to land in October, so there’s not long to wait.
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James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.
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