Apple has made the second developer beta of macOS Sequoia 15.1 available, which includes the ability to test Apple Intelligence features. If you have an Apple Silicon Mac and don’t live in China, you can try out Apple Intelligence features for yourself, even if you’re not a developer. Read on to learn how.
Apple has split Apple Intelligence into a separate set of betas for Macs because these features will not be available in the initial launch version of macOS Sequoia 15. Apple Intelligence will be made available to the public later this fall with the release of macOS Sequoia 15.1.
This interim release will add several of Apple’s Intelligence features, such as writing tools, an updated Siri design, Safari and Mail summaries, Reduce Interruptions focus mode, and more. Other features, including Image Playground, Genmoji, and Siri’s personal context and screen recognition, will be available later and are not included in the macOS Sequoia 15.1 beta. For more information on what’s available and when, see our macOS 15 roundup.
The good news is that Apple has already deployed the second developer beta of macOS 15.1. This means you can try out some of the AI features for yourself by signing up for macOS beta access. Signing up for the macOS Sequoia beta is quite simple and can be done with the steps below. Be sure to back up your Mac with Time Machine before proceeding with the beta software installation, otherwise you won’t be able to revert to your previous version of macOS if you need to.
Things to consider before you start
- Back up your Mac.
- Apple Intelligence requires a Mac with an M1 Apple Silicon processor or later.
- Apple Intelligence is only available in US English.
- Apple Intelligence for Mac is not available in China, but appears to be available in the EU and everywhere else if the region and language settings are changed to the US (see below).
- Apple Intelligence is not available if macOS 15.1 is installed on an external drive.
Register for developer beta access
You can skip these first steps if you’ve already signed up for the Apple Developer Program with your Apple ID. Note that signing up this way is free. does not require paid membership in the Apple Developer Program.
- Go to the Apple Developer website (developer.apple.com/account) and sign in with your Apple ID.
- Check the box to accept the terms and conditions, then tap Submit Button.
That’s all. You can now proceed to the next steps to download and install the macOS Sequoia 15.1 developer beta.
Download macOS 15.1 Beta
To download and install the macOS Sequoia 15.1 Developer beta, follow these steps on your Mac.
- Go to System Settings ➝ General ➝ Software Update.
- Click the info button ⓘ next to Beta Updates.
- Select the icon macOS Sequoia 15.1 developer beta and then click Completed.
- If the macOS 15.1 Beta Update appears, click on the Upgrade now button to start downloading and installing on your Mac.
Enable Apple Intelligence
The following steps explain how to join the Apple Intelligence waitlist, which typically gives you access to AI features within minutes.
- Go to System Preferences ➝ Apple Intelligence & Siri.
- Set Siri’s language to English (US)and, when prompted, refuse to restart your Mac for the time being.
- Set voice to American.
- Next, go to System Settings ➝ General ➝ Language & Region.
- Click on the region selector and select United States.
- Under “Preferred languages” click + and add English (US)and then set English (US) as your primary language by dragging it over your other language(s).
- Restart your Mac when prompted.
- After rebooting, go to Settings ➝ Apple Intelligence & Siri.
- Click the option to Join the Apple Intelligence waitlist. You’ll be notified when Apple Intelligence features are available for your Mac. In most cases, this should only take a few minutes, but you shouldn’t rule out waiting a few hours.
- If Apple Intelligence is available, enable it by toggling the switch.
Note that Apple Intelligence will not be included in the initial launch version of iOS 18, which will come out alongside new iPhones in September. It will instead be introduced in a separate iOS 18.1 update, which will likely arrive a few weeks after the debut of iOS 18. Have you had a chance to try out Apple Intelligence features on Mac? Share your experience with us in the comments.
