Latest iOS 18.1 beta brings call recording and transcription to more iPhones
Now that iOS 18 is out in the wild, Apple has also expanded its iOS 18.1 beta. Previously, this beta was only available on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, but now iOS 18.1 beta 4 has rolled out and is available for any device that can run iOS 18.
Of course, Apple limited the beta previously because the main feature is Apple Intelligence, and that only works with the iPhone 16 line and the iPhone 15 Pro models. But there’s more to it than just Apple Intelligence, including call recording and transcribing, and thanks to this latest beta we now know that these features will be available more broadly.
MacRumors has confirmed that these features work on the iPhone 14 Pro, and there are other user reports suggesting they work on everything from the iPhone XS onwards — that is, any phone that can run iOS 18.
Recordings and transcripts, but no summaries
With this latest iOS 18.1 beta, 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 recording. A voice message will notify 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.
While it appears all recent iPhones are getting these features, you’ll still need Apple Intelligence to get an AI-generated summary of the conversation. For this, you’ll need an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or iPhone 16 model.
Currently, you must be in the US, Australia, Mexico, China, Hong Kong, or South Korea to use call recording. Hopefully, the feature will be made more widely available over time.
And if you don’t feel like downloading a beta, the final version of iOS 18.1 is scheduled for October, so you won’t have long to wait.
