The first developer beta of iOS 18.2 is out now. The update brings a second wave of Apple Intelligence features for developers to try out.
iOS 18.2 includes Apple's image creation features like Genmoji and Image Playground, ChatGPT integration into Siri and Writing Tools, and a more powerful Writing Tools with the addition of a “Describe your edit” text field. iPhone 16 owners can access Visual Intelligence through Camera Control. The update also expands the availability of Apple Intelligence to more English-speaking regions beyond US English …
iOS 18.1 will be released publicly next week with Apple Intelligence support for US English only. iOS 18.2 adds additional English regions, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK.
If you're outside of these markets, you can change your device's language to one of the supported languages to try out Apple Intelligence. Apple will officially roll out support for some non-English languages next year. However, Apple Intelligence is forcibly disabled in China and the EU due to regulatory concerns.
iOS 18.1 includes an initial set of Apple Intelligence features, including Writing Tools, updates to Siri, Clean Up and Memory Movies in Photos, notification summaries, priority messages in Mail, and transcription summaries for phone calls.
iOS 18.2 builds on this foundation by launching generative image generation features for the first time. Image Playground lets users create their own images from scratch using text suggestions and topic suggestions, in a cartoon-like style. Image Wand can turn a rough sketch with Apple Pencil into a rendered image. And Genmoji lets users create entirely new emoji to share with friends in their messages; the Genmoji editor is conveniently integrated into the regular system emoji keyboard.
iOS 18.2 also includes improvements to Writing Tools. In addition to the preset transformations, there’s a new text field that lets users describe their edits with a free-text query. For example, you can ask Writing Tools to make your document “more enthusiastic.” iOS 18.2 also integrates ChatGPT into Writing Tools with a new Compose with ChatGPT interface.
ChatGPT is also integrated into Siri with iOS 18.2, so Siri can pass on requests to ChatGPT that it can’t handle on its own. For example, if you ask Siri to create a route, it can pass the request to ChatGPT’s world knowledge models and return a response inline. To respect user privacy, you must first explicitly allow Siri to use ChatGPT to make the request.
For iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro owners, iOS 18.2 also includes Visual Intelligence. This feature lets you access the new viewfinder by holding down the camera controls on the lock screen. You can then quickly take a photo to learn more about what you’re looking at.
All of these features are also available in the macOS 15.2 and iPadOS 18.2 betas, which are available to developers today as an early preview. Apple hasn’t confirmed a public release date for iOS 18.2, but previously promised it would be available before the end of the year.
Aside from iOS 18.2, we’re still waiting for some previously announced Apple Intelligence features to debut. These include personalized contextual awareness and in-app actions for Siri, as well as a new AI-powered priority notifications section on the iPhone lock screen. These features are expected to arrive in early 2025.
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