By Julie Clover
iOS 18.2 is the second major update to iOS 18, introducing Apple Intelligence image generation features, ChatGPT integration with Siri, and a host of other changes and bug fixes.
This guide covers everything new in iOS 18.2.
Apple Intelligence
iOS 18.2 introduces several new Apple Intelligence features, including Image Playground and Genmoji. This is a more interesting update than iOS 18.1, thanks to its image-generating features.
- Image Playground – There's an Image Playground app and Messages integration for generating stylized images based on prompts and images of you and your friends.
- Image Wand – Image Wand is designed to add images to what you've written in the Notes app. On iPad, you can use Apple Pencil to make a rough sketch, and Image Wand can turn it into something more beautiful.
- Genmoji – With Genmoji, you can create your own emoji. It's like Image Playground, but on a smaller emoji scale. People who have iOS 18.1 will see Genmoji and even get information about them, but they can only be created in iOS 18.2. On earlier versions of iOS and Android devices, they appear as an image.
- Siri ChatGPT– Siri can now send requests to ChatGPT, a feature that is entirely user-defined. You don’t need an account, and anything you ask Siri can be sent to ChatGPT if you choose. ChatGPT provides more advanced information than Siri and can also generate images and text. If you want to make it easier to send requests to ChatGPT, you can turn off the “Ask Every Time” setting so Siri doesn’t always need your permission to communicate with ChatGPT. Siri with ChatGPT integration supports on-screen responses, so you can do things like ask “what’s in this photo?” when looking at an image.
- Visual Intelligence– On iPhone 16, visual intelligence can be used to identify objects and places around you. Long press the camera control to access visual intelligence, then point your iPhone at something. You can get hours and reviews if the camera is facing a restaurant, copy text, read text out loud, search for items on Google, ask ChatGPT questions about objects, and more.
- Writing Tools– The email rewrite tools feature is no longer limited to three styles. You can describe the tone or content you want, for example, adding more dynamic words or turning an email into a poem.
- Languages – With iOS 18.2, Apple Intelligence supports English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK in addition to US English, so if you're in Canada, you no longer need to set your iPhone to US English to use Apple Intelligence.
We have a much more detailed Apple Intelligence guide that covers all the available features that's worth checking out. We also have separate guides on the new additions in iOS 18.2.
- Everything you need to know about Apple Intelligence
- All the features in Image Playground
- Genmoji in iOS 18.2: Everything you need to know
- Apple Intelligence features from Siri
- Apple Intelligence Image Wand: All the New Features in iOS 18.2
Camera Control
For iPhone 16 users, there is now an option to lock the auto exposure and auto focus settings with a light press. The AE/AF lock toggle can be turned on by going to Settings > Camera > Camera Control.
There is also an option to adjust the double-tap speed of the camera control. The options are Default, Slow, and Slower. The customization options combine the previous options for adjusting the double-tap speed of the light and the force with which the light is pressed.
As mentioned above, the camera control now supports visual intelligence.
The update also adds a new setting for the camera button. In the Settings app, under Display & Brightness, there’s now a toggle called “Require screen to turn on.” When enabled, you can launch the Camera app or a supported third-party camera app from the camera button only when your iPhone’s screen is on.
Mail app categorization
The Mail app has new built-in categories to help you separate important emails, deals, newsletters, transactional emails, and more.
The Mail app includes larger images for contacts and businesses, and all emails from the same person or source will be grouped together.
You can switch between categories (a new option) and list view (the standard view without categorization) by tapping the three dots in the top-right corner of the app. In the Mail section of the Settings app, you may need to go to Notifications > Customize notifications > and turn on “All unread messages” if you're using the list view, because another setting only shows unread messages categorized as “Primary,” which can be confusing.
Improved video player and more in Photos
Apple has added a redesigned video player that takes up more of the screen in iOS 18.2. This change eliminates the thick borders around videos that appeared in earlier versions of iOS 18 version, meaning you no longer have to tap on a video to play it full-screen.
You can now scroll through videos frame by frame, and there's a setting to turn off automatic video looping in the Photos section of the Settings app.
When using Collections views in the Photos app, you can swipe right to go back to the previous view, and the Favorites album now appears in the Utilities collection along with the Pinned Collections section.
You can also now clear your recently viewed and recently shared album history.
Safari
The Safari section of the Settings app has a new “Warn about unsecure connection” toggle that lets you know if you're visiting a website that doesn't have a valid SSL certificate for an encrypted connection. It's not a good idea to send passwords or other sensitive data to a site that displays a “Not secure” warning.
Apple's “Warn about unsecure connection” toggle is not turned on by default. Apple says HTTPS Priority will upgrade URLs to HTTPS when possible.
The Settings app has a new section for managing website data and history, with options to “Clear History” and “Website Data.” The “Website Data” section includes options to export data from Safari and import data from another app into Safari.
Apple has added new background images to customize the Safari start page.
Safari Downloads
Safari download progress can now be tracked on the iPhone Lock screen and in Dynamic Island.
Voice Memos
Voice Memos lets you layer two tracks on top of each other. You can also split layers and edit layer mixes.
You can import two-track projects directly into Logic Pro on iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Find My
Find My now has a new option to “Share an item’s location” with “an airline or trusted friend” to help you find something you’ve lost. Selecting the Share Item Location option creates a link that allows someone to view the location of your lost item when they open the link.
The link can be opened on a non-Apple device, so you don't need an iPhone or Mac to share your item's location with someone. Links disappear after a week or after you return the lost item.
There's also a “Show Contact Info” option that lets any phone or tablet connect to the thing and view a website with more information about it, including the owner's phone number and email address.
Apple Music
Apple Music now supports natural language search. You can search by genre, mood, activity, decade, and more. Examples include “cat songs,” “vibe songs,” “chill songs,” “artists like Taylor Swift,” “sad 80s songs,” and “songs about food.”
Apple Music now displays the disc number on some albums.
Apple TV
In the Apple TV app, you can also use natural language searches to find exactly what you're looking for by entering genres, actors, and moods. Searches like “disaster movies,” “cat movies,” “Zendaya movies,” and “thrilling movies” all return relevant results.
The TV app's navigation bar is customizable, with the ability to add different apps and library categories. Existing options like MLS and Apple TV+ can’t be removed.
Podcasts
You can favorite categories in the Podcasts app in iOS 18.2, and browse categories in the Library for a new way to navigate shows and episodes.
A new personalized search page in Podcasts suggests the most relevant categories and editorially curated collections based on your listening preferences.
Apple News+
For Apple News+ subscribers in the United States, iOS 18.2 adds daily Sudoku puzzles. Sudoku puzzles join the existing Crossword, Mini Crossword, and Quartile offerings. Each day you can complete three difficulty levels: easy, medium and hard.
Stocks
The Stocks app now features preview price quotes to track NASDAQ and NYSE tickers before the market opens.
AirPods Pro Hearing Test and Hearing Aid Expansion
The AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Test feature is now available in Cyprus, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Romania, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
The Hearing Aid feature is available in the United Arab Emirates.
Apple Arcade
In the Apple Arcade section of the App Store, the All Games section has a new filter drop-down menu and the ability to turn off game previews.
EU App Changes
In the European Union, users can now uninstall core apps including the App Store, Safari, Messages, Camera, and Photos.
Third-party browser apps in the EU will be able to create web apps for the iPhone Home Screen using its own custom engines when running iOS 18.2.
iPadOS 18.2 requires users to select a default browser when opening Safari. This is a requirement of the Digital Markets Act, and Apple is adding an updated experience that will allow users to select a default web browser from a list of options.
Apple has already implemented this change in iOS 18.
Default Apps Section
There is a new Default Apps section in the Apps section of the Settings app that you can use to manage the default apps for your iPhone.
There are default app settings for email, messages, calls, call screening, browser app, passwords and codes, and keyboards. In the US and other countries, you can use this section to select your preferred email, call screening, browser and passwords, and keyboard apps. In the EU, you have more choices when it comes to third-party calling and messaging apps.
Volume limit
In the Sound & Haptics section of the Settings app, there’s a new Volume limit option with a toggle called “Limit maximum volume” that lets you control how loudly the iPhone speaker plays audio, like songs, movies, and other media.
It doesn’t affect phone calls, FaceTime calls, alarms, or other sounds.
Control Center
There’s a new shortcut option in Control Center for Siri text input. Apple also removed the Satellite control from the Connect section and changed the icon for the Adaptive Audio feature.
You can customize camera controls by opening Settings and going to Accessibility > Camera Button.
Settings app icons
In Dark Mode, the icons in the Settings app have a new, darker look that displays color on a black background, rather than icons that are a solid color with white accents.
Mirroring iPhone with a hotspot
iOS 18.2 lets you use iPhone Mirroring as long as your iPhonehotspot's connection is shared with your Mac. Previously, connecting your Mac via Personal Hotspot prevented you from using your iPhone Mirroring.
Fitness Shortcut Actions
The Fitness app has new shortcut actions that you can use when creating a shortcut, including Open Fitness Settings, Open Reward, Open Session History, and Open Trophy Case.
Lock Screen Volume Slider
iOS 18.2 introduces a new option to always show the volume control on the Lock screen when adjusting volume.
You can turn on this feature in the Accessibility section of the Settings app. Accessibility > Audio & Video > Always show volume control.
Vehicle Motion Cues
When enabled, there is an option under Dynamic Island called “Vehicle Motion Cues.” Vehicle motion cues are designed to reduce motion sickness while riding in a vehicle.
Connect to Mac
When connected to a Mac or PC, you can use Face ID to trust the device.
iMessage Reporting
Children in Australia have access to a tool to report iMessages containing nude photos and videos. Reported images will be reviewed by Apple and action may be taken, such as disabling the sender's Apple account or reporting the incident to law enforcement.
This feature will be expanded globally in the future.
Music Recognition
In iOS 18.2, the music recognition feature in Control Center has a music memories feature that shows where you were when you identified a song. You'll need to long-press the Music Recognition toggle in Control Center, tap History, and then allow location access to use this feature.
AirDrop
The AirDrop icon on the Share page now appears dark in Dark Mode instead of remaining white.
Web Content Restrictions in Utah
Utah residents under 17 will be included in the Web Content Restrictions that block adult content in iOS 18.2. This is required by Utah law.
Bug Fixes
iOS 18.2 fixes several notable bugs. The update fixes an issue where photos taken wouldn't immediately appear in the All Photos section. grid.
Also fixed an issue that could cause Night mode photos to appear degraded when shooting with long exposures, an issue that affected the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Security Updates
iOS 18.2 addresses several security vulnerabilities, so we recommend updating as soon as possible.
The full list of fixed vulnerabilities can be found on Apple's website, but it includes updates to the kernel, passwords, Safari, WebKit, VoiceOver, and more.
Learn more
For more information about Apple Intelligence, visit: Apple Security Updates Features in iOS 18.2, we have a dedicated guide. Our iOS 18 review has a list of all the features in iOS 18 if you need an overview.
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