Get Ready: iOS 18.2's Advanced AI Features Arriving Early
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We know Apple plans to release the iOS 18.2 update which will introduce a second wave of Apple Intelligence features this December. A recent report has narrowed down the timeline for when iPhone users can expect the firmware to arrive.
In the latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman forecasted Apple will roll out iOS 18.2 in the first week of December, which is about a month from now.
- Want to test iOS 18.2's features early? Enroll in the iOS beta program
While a specific day hasn’t been mentioned, we can safely hazard a guess based on past releases. For instance, iOS 18.1 launched on Monday, October 28. Therefore, it’s likely that Apple will release iOS 18.2 at the start of the week as well, possibly as early as December 2. This would be ahead of Apple’s usual release timing, which was pushed back to the second week of December last year with iOS 17.2.
What major updates are there in iOS 18.2?
iOS 18.2 introduces several new AI features as part of Apple Intelligence. Among them are the text-to-image generators, Genmoji, and Image Playground. For iPad users, there’s also a new feature in the Notes app called Image Wand, which generates images based on sketches—similar to Samsung’s Sketch to Image tool.
Another addition is Apple’s answer to Google Lens, dubbed Visual Intelligence. This feature allows users to point their camera at objects, places, or scenes and receive relevant information from the web. Users can then perform follow-up actions by tapping an “Ask” button, such as prompting Siri to dial a detected phone number.
Apple will also enhance its Writing Tools feature, initially introduced with iOS 18.1. In addition, Siri will offer optional ChatGPT integration, useful for queries that may be too complex for the iPhone’s built-in assistant.
In another update, Apple Intelligence will add support for localized English variants, including those used in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, and the UK. We may also see performance optimizations for existing AI tools.
Other System Changes
Outside of Apple Intelligence, iOS 18.2 will introduce a new “Default Apps” section within Settings. As part of the Digital Markets Act, European users will have more flexibility to set third-party apps and services as defaults in place of Apple’s native options.
The iOS 18.2 update is compatible with the iPhone 15 Pro (Max), iPhone 16 series, iPad Mini 7, and iPad tablets equipped with the Apple M chipset.
Do you look forward to any of these new Apple Intelligence features? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Source: Bloomberg
