First Look at the New Siri in iOS 18.1 Beta: It's Better, But Is It Enough?

With the iOS 18.1 beta released in recent weeks for developers, Apple has introduced the new and ultra-powered Siri, enhanced by the company's artificial intelligence. In this article, we reveal how Siri has changed after a first look, compared to the previous version. It's truly impressive!

With the first betas of the revamped Siri, improved with Apple Intelligence, now out in the wild, we've jumped in to analyze and show you everything new about Siri. Finally, Siri is up to the iPhone standards and will make our lives easier.

Responsiveness and Siri Knows Your Location

One of the first aspects to evaluate is Siri's responsiveness in different contexts: the lock screen, the home screen, and within an app. In the tests, Siri in both versions responded quickly to the "Hey Siri" command 100% of the time. The key difference was that in iOS 18.1, Siri allows interaction with the user interface while active, a feature not present in iOS 17.

Siri in iOS 18

An important discovery was made during the setup of our device. Tests related to system settings and instructions, such as enabling or disabling configurations, showed that both versions of Siri can fulfill most requests. However, Siri in iOS 18.1 stands out by offering detailed explanations on how to perform certain tasks, like turning off dark mode, while the previous version either didn’t respond or froze. This ability to help and explain to the user how to complete a specific task is a notable improvement in the new version.

On the other hand, location-based Siri tests included commands like "What's the weather?" or "Navigate to X city," as well as the ability to maintain ongoing contextual conversations. Surprisingly, Siri in iOS 17 performed well, providing accurate information and maintaining context in some conversations. However, the new Siri in iOS 18.1 shined by opening the Maps app and automatically starting navigation, something the previous version could not do. Although the difference isn't huge, iOS 18.1 showed a slight edge.

Siri Knows History Better and Adapts

To evaluate Siri's accuracy and speed in answering fact-based questions, two series of tests were conducted: one about Apple CEO Tim Cook and another about the Miami Dolphins football team. In this category, Siri in iOS 18.1 proved to be more accurate and faster, presenting information more clearly. For instance, when asked about the quarterback of the Miami Dolphins, Siri in iOS 18.1 provided the correct answer, while the iOS 17 version gave incorrect information related to another team. Here, Siri in iOS 18.1 clearly has the advantage.

Siri in iOS 18 Keynote 2024

The comparison reveals that Siri in iOS 17 is still functional for 95% of requests, but the version in iOS 18.1 offers a better visual experience and greater interaction with apps, including the ability to send messages more comfortably.

While iOS 18.1 introduces improvements that promise to change the experience, such as better handling of conversation context and detailed explanations, it still has limitations. If you're considering upgrading just for Siri, it might be better to wait. Siri's future is promising, but it's still evolving towards a more optimized version.