Apple has released iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 release candidate to developers with new features including Image Playground, Image Wand, Genmoji, ChatGPT integration, Writing Tools improvements, Visual Intelligence, and much more. The update is available over-the-air for all compatible devices.

iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 were the previous major updates for iPhone and iPad and featured Apple Intelligence, Writing Tools, enhanced Siri, Photos updates, Notification Summaries, and much more

New features in iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2

A lot of the Apple Intelligence features that Apple had announced at WWDC 2024, were not part of the initial iOS 18 release. iOS 18.1 started the roll-out of these smart features but was limited to Writing Tools, Siri updates, Photos, Notifications, Phone recording, etc. Now users can get their hands on features like Image Playground, Image Wand, Genmoji, ChatGPT integration, improvements to Mail app and Writing tools, Visual Intelligence, and more.

Here are the complete release notes from Apple:

Apple Intelligence (All iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max)

  • Image Playground
    • A new app that lets you use concepts, descriptions, and people from your photo library to create fun, playful images in multiple styles
    • Swipe through previews and choose from as you add concepts to your playground
    • Choose from animation and illustration styles when creating your image
    • Create images in Messages and Freeform, as well as third party apps
    • Images are synced in your Image Playground library across all your devices with iCloud
  • Genmoji
    • Genmoji allows you to create a custom emoji right from the keyboard
    • Genmoji are synced in your sticker drawer across all your devices with iCloud
  • ChatGPT support
    • ChatGPT from OpenAI can be accessed right from Siri or Writing Tools
    • Compose in Writing Tools allows you to create something from scratch with ChatGPT
    • Siri can tap into ChatGPT when relevant to provide you an answer
    • A ChatGPT account is not required and your requests will be anonymous and won’t be used to train OpenAI’s models
    • Sign in with ChatGPT to access your account benefits, and requests will be covered by OpenAI’s data policies
  • Image Wand turns sketches and handwritten or typed notes into images in Notes
  • Describe your change in Writing Tools allows you to suggest how you’d like something rewritten, for example as a poem

Camera Control (iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max)

  • Visual Intelligence with Camera Control helps you instantly learn about places or interact with information simply by pointing your iPhone at the object, with the option to tap into Google Search or ChatGPT
  • Camera Control two-stage shutter lets you lock focus and exposure in Camera when light pressing the Camera Control

Mail

  • Mail Categorization sorts your messages to help you prioritize the most important messages
  • Digest view groups all of the messages from one sender into a single bundle for easy browsing

Photos

  • Video viewing improvements, including the ability to scrub frame-by-frame and a setting to turn off auto-looping video playback
  • Improvements when navigating Collections views, including the ability to swipe right to go back to the previous view
  • Recently Viewed and Recently Shared album history can be cleared
  • Favorites album appears in the Utilities collection in addition to Pinned Collections

Safari

  • New background images to customize your Safari Start Page
  • Import and Export enables you to export your browsing data from Safari and import browsing data from another app into Safari
  • HTTPS Priority upgrades URLs to HTTPS whenever possible
  • File Download Live Activity shows the progress of a file download in the Dynamic Island and on your home screen

This update also includes the following improvements and bug fixes:

  • Voice Memos supports layered recording, letting you add vocals over an existing song idea without the need for headphones — then import your two-track projects directly into Logic Pro (iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max)
  • Share Item Location in Find My helps you locate and recover misplaced items by easily and securely sharing the location of an AirTag or Find My network accessory with trusted third parties, such as airlines
  • Natural language search in Apple Music and Apple TV app lets you describe what you’re looking for using any combination of categories like genres, moods, actors, decades, and more
  • Favorite Categories in Podcasts allows you to choose your favorite categories and get relevant show recommendations that you can easily access in your Library
  • Personalized Search page in Podcasts highlights the most relevant categories and editorially curated collections tailored to you
  • Sudoku for News+ Puzzles provided in three difficulty levels and available for News+ subscribers
  • Support for the Hearing Test feature on AirPods Pro 2 in Cyprus, Czechia, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Romania, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom
  • Support for the Hearing Aid feature on AirPods Pro 2 in United Arab Emirates
  • Pre-market price quotes in Stocks lets you track NASDAQ and NYSE tickers prior to market open
  • Fixes an issue where recently captured photos do not appear immediately in the All Photos grid
  • Fixes an issue where Night mode photos in Camera could appear degraded when capturing long exposures (iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max)

iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 compatible devices

The second developer beta is available for the following devices:

  • iPhone 16
  • iPhone 16 Plus
  • iPhone 16 Pro
  • iPhone 16 Pro Max
  • iPhone 15
  • iPhone 15 Plus
  • iPhone 15 Pro
  • iPhone 15 Pro Max
  • iPhone 14
  • iPhone 14 Plus
  • iPhone 14 Pro
  • iPhone 14 Pro Max
  • iPhone 13
  • iPhone 13 mini
  • iPhone 13 Pro
  • iPhone 13 Pro Max
  • iPhone 12
  • iPhone 12 mini
  • iPhone 12 Pro
  • iPhone 12 Pro Max
  • iPhone 11
  • iPhone 11 Pro
  • iPhone 11 Pro Max
  • iPhone XS
  • iPhone XS Max
  • iPhone XR
  • iPhone SE (2nd generation or later)iPad Mini (7th generation)
  • iPad Air 11-inch (M2), iPad Air 13-inch (M2)
  • 11-in. iPad Pro (4th generation), 12.9-in. iPad Pro (6th generation)
  • iPad Air (5th Generation)

If you have a compatible device, simply go to Settings > General Software Update and look for iOS 18.2 or iPadOS 18.2 at the bottom. This is where you can start the download process.

It was previously revealed that Apple will be releasing Intelligence features between iOS 18.1 and iOS 18.4. iOS 18.3 will be released in January, while iOS 18.4 is expected to launch by March. By end of March, users should expect the smarter version of Siri which will have new capabilities including personal context, on-screen awareness, actions in and across apps, and more. This will mark the completion of the Apple Intelligence roll-out as it was announced at WWDC 2024.

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