Hello, everyone! Today, I am excited to share with you what is new in iOS 18.1 beta 6. This release comes about two weeks after beta 5. So, along with iOS, we have received updates for iPad OS 18.1, Mac OS Aqua 15.1, watch OS 11.1, TV OS 18.1, and vision OS 2.1. But today, let’s talk about the iOS and iPad OS 18.1 beta.
Size and Build
This update is almost a gigabyte on my iPhone 16 Pro. Under General in Settings, That “A” at the end lets us know we’re getting close to the final release. We should see that out before the month’s end. We’ll discuss more around the release date.

Modem Firmware Update
A firmware update for the iPhone 16 series modem is also part of the changes. This one’s been labeled 1.11.0. Alright, enough of the new in this beta. Let’s dive deeper into the new.
Control Center Improvements
First, let’s talk about the Control Center. There are two brand new controls that many users have wanted for a long time:
- AirDrop Toggle: You can now add an AirDrop toggle to the Control Center. This allows you to change your AirDrop settings quickly.
- Satellite Toggle: There is also a new toggle to turn satellite features on or off.
To find these, go to Settings, then Control Center, and add them from the connectivity section. Now, you can access these features easily without going through multiple steps.
New Measure Controls
Besides these two new measure controls, there is now a new set of toggles – for AirDrop and satellites. You can add both a measure and a level control to your Control Center. The measure and level controls may be moved or resized for your own use; this makes your Control Center much more useful.

Streamlining the Control Center Experience
The Control Center layout has been updated. Everything runs much more smoothly and stably compared to previous versions. Moving icons around is easier, and they will not slide out of your hands as readily, which is a huge plus.
Updates to Apple Intelligence
In Notes, you now have an icon for Apple Intelligence. It kind of looks like someone jabbed a pencil into the top right corner. The wording for the option to “retry” the text so that you can reword it is now called “rewrite.” Another change is that by default, “share feedback” is no longer displayed; instead, it’s cleaner in the interface.
New Splash Screens
There are new splash screens in both the Mail app and the App Store:
- The Mail app splash screen highlights features like priority messages, message summaries, and smart replies.
- The App Store splash screen mentions improved search using natural language.

What’s New in iOS 18.1 Beta 6?
Sleep Apnea Detection
This update also brings back sleep apnea detection. You can find this new toggle under your watch settings in the sleep section. Remember, you need an Apple Watch series 9 or later to use this feature.
Notification Changes
Nice update has also come to Notifications. Now, you will see how many multiple notifications for the same app arrive-a bubble. It is a nice visual change that will help you to manage your notifications more easily.
Camera Control Improvements
That tweak affected the camera button too. I feel that it is now less sensitive and does not accidentally tap that easily. If you have an iPhone 16, mail me if you feel the same way too!
Bug Fixes
This update also includes some more bug fixes based on the previous beta. For example, this version fixes the touch responsiveness bug that affected most users. In addition, the issue concerning iMessage that caused the app to freeze every time a user tried to share a watch face has been fixed. It should also not have a camera freezing problem in shooting 4K video when shot for the iPhone 16 series.

Performance and Battery Life
These beta codes seem to make performance better. The Control Center is now smoother, hence a generally smoother experience. On battery life, it should be good after this update that looks to fix some of the previous public issues. Let me know if you noticed battery drain problems after using this version.
Geekbench Testing
I ran a Geekbench 6 test, scoring 3425 on single-core and 8345 on multi-core. The numbers do seem good for a sixth beta.
To-Do List
What’s next? Mark Gurman says iOS 18.1 should appear on October 28. With an “A” at the end of this build number, we probably will go right to RC from beta 6. RCs might appear as early as next week.
We probably can miss the next week and then we’ll release on the 21st RC with the final on the 28th. It is really hard to predict, but just wonderful how this unfurls!
iOS 18.1 beta 6
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