iOS 18.1: All of the features other than Apple Intelligence

iOS 18.1 brings the first suite of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone users, with things like Writing Tools, Clean Up in the Photos app, and notification summaries. Beyond those new Apple Intelligence capabilities, however, iOS 18.1 includes other new features for iPhone users.

Here’s a roundup of all the non-Apple Intelligence features coming to iPhone users with iOS 18.1 later this month.

NFC access for third-party apps

iOS 18.1 is making a big change to the iPhone’s NFC chip. For the first time, Apple is opening the NFC chip to third-party apps. This will allow for third-party developers to implement contactless payments and features that exist separate from Apple Pay and Apple Wallet.

According to Apple, developers will be able to tap into the iPhone’s NFC chip for things like payments, car keys, students IDs, and more:

• In-store payments
• Car keys
• Closed-loop transit
• Corporate badges
• Student IDs
• Home keys
• Hotel keys
• Merchant loyalty and rewards cards
• Event tickets
• Government IDs (coming at a later date)

According to Apple, this feature will debut in iOS 18.1 and will be available in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the U.K., and the United States. It will, however, require adoption from third-party app developers, and it’s unclear when the first apps with these capabilities will be released.

Additionally, Apple has said that developers will need to enter into a commercial agreement with Apple, request the NFC and SE entitlement, and “pay the associated fees” to access the iPhone’s NFC chip. As of right now, Apple hasn’t published any details about the fee structure. 

More tweaks to Control Center

One of the flagship changes in iOS 18 is the all-new Control Center that is fully customizable. With iOS 18.1, Apple is making a couple of changes to this experience based on user back. First, there are now dedicated toggles for all of the connectivity controls that were previously only available in the larger all-in-one connectivity widget.

iOS 18.1 also includes a new “Reset Control Center” option in the Settings app. Tapping on this will reset the Control Center layout to the factory defaults, allowing you to completely start fresh.

iPhone Mirroring adds drag and drop

Making good on its promise from WWDC, iPhone Mirroring now supports the ability to easily drag and drop files between your iPhone and your Mac. This feature requires both iOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1. Then, when you’re using iPhone Mirroring, you can wirelessly move files back and forth just by dragging and dropping.

You can get a look at this feature in action in the video above.

New Camera Control for iPhone 16

For iPhone 16 users, iOS 18.1 expands the Camera Control with yet another new option. You can now switch to the the selfie camera by swiping on the Camera Control:

1. Open the Camera app, lightly press the Camera Control to bring up the menu
2. Lightly press the Camera Control twice and navigate to the “Cameras” menu
3. Swipe all the way to the left and you’ll see a new selfie option

Call recording and transcription

This feature was initially billed as being exclusive to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16, but Apple has expanded support to the iPhone XS and newer. While on a phone call, you can initiate call recording by tapping a new icon that appears in the upper-left corner of the interface. Your iPhone will then inform the other party that the call is being recorded.

In addition to recording the call, your iPhone will generate a transcript of the call after the fact. Transcription for call recording is available in English (U.S., Australia), Spanish (U.S., Mexico), Mandarin Chinese (China mainland), Cantonese (Hong Kong), and Korean (South Korea).

TikTok integration for Apple Music

Finally, iOS 18.1 also brings deeper integration between Apple Music and TikTok. In the Music app, you’ll see a new button that lets you easily share a song or album directly to TikTok. You can post it to TikTok as a video or photo, or send it to someone as a private message.

If you choose to post it as a photo or video, TikTok will also automatically add the song to the post so other people will hear the audio when they view it.

This integration with TikTok is similar to the Apple Music integration that was added to Instagram Stories with iOS 13.4 in 2020.

iOS 18.1 release date

During the iPhone 16 event last month, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.1 would be released to the general public sometime in October. Most recently, Bloomberg reported that iOS 18.1 will be released on October 28.

Are you running the iOS 18.1 beta on your iPhone? If so, what’s been your favorite feature so far? Let us know down in the comments.

My favorite iPhone accessories:

• USB-C to USB-C cable with LED display
• Belkin 3-in-1 MagSafe charging stand
• Satechi 165W 4-port USB-C Charging Station
• Beats Pill Bluetooth Speaker