Just installed the first iOS 18.1 (and iPadOS 18.1) beta with the first appearance of “Siri 2.0” and I gotta say, my first impressions of the new Siri are pretty bad. Outside of the UX change, Siri is still dumb as rocks. Doesn’t speak results and still shows web results.

I don’t think the updated Siri engine has been rolled out yet. The interface changes and the voice seems to be slightly better.

The Notes, Messages, and Email apps have been updated to be able to rewrite and proofread using AI, which is working great so far. Open a Mail message or a Safari page in Reader mode, and there’s now a summarize button. Those are pretty slick. For in-depth overview of what’s in 18.1 Beta 1, watch this video.