Apple’s latest major operating system update is set to deliver several new AI-charged features that could change the way iPhone users interact with their devices.
The update comes after Apple rolled out iOS 18.1.1 last month, an emergency release meant to address bugs and security issues. The new software, iOS 18.2, will provide more significant changes, including several updates using Apple Intelligence, the company’s AI platform.
When will the iOS 18.2 update be released?
The exact timing of the official iOS 18.2 release is unclear, with Apple having only said that the update will come in December. Reports and speculation from Apple enthusiasts have suggested that the official update could come as soon as early this week.
Earlier on Monday, Apple made an 18.2 “release candidate” available to beta testers. While this may be the final version of the software, additional tweaks could still be made before the release is finalized.
Monday’s beta release, which is Apple’s second release candidate, “could delay the launch of iOS 18.2 by a day or two,” according to Macworld magazine.
Newsweek reached out for comment to Apple via email on Monday evening.
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images
What’s featured in the iOS 18.2 update?
The bulk of notable new features in the upcoming update use Apple Intelligence. Here are some of the biggest changes:
- Visual Intelligence, which will allow users to see AI-generated information about images viewed through the iPhone camera.
- Image Playground, an app to create images from text prompts and user-saved photos.
- Gemoji, a custom emoji creation tool.
- ChatGPT integration for Siri and the Writing Tools app.
However, the updates using Apple Intelligence will not be available to older devices, as the platform only works on iPhone 16 series phones, the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
New features that will be available to all iPhones that receive the update include security and bug fixes, improvements to camera control, expanded ability to share AirTags information, an improved Mail app and daily Sudoku puzzles for News+ subscribers.
What are iPhone users’ reactions to the iOS 18.2 update?
As the update is yet to be released to the general public, there are not yet any reactions to the final version. However, reviews have mostly been positive from iPhone users who have updated with the beta versions of the software.
Aaron Zollo, a self-described “iOS and Android Beta historian,” wrote that “iOS 18.2 is turning out to be the best ever when it comes to performance, benchmarks and possibly battery” in a recent post to X, formerly Twitter.
User @amit_meena wrote in an X post on Sunday that the first release iOS 18.2 release candidate already “feels much smoother and more stable compared to iOS 18.1.1.”
