The first developer beta of iOS 18.2 has been released, introducing the second wave of Apple Intelligence features for developers to explore.
iOS 18.2 brings Apple’s image generation features such as Genmoji and Image Playground, ChatGPT integration in Siri and Writing Tools, and enhanced Writing Tools with the addition of the ‘Describe your change’ text field. Owners of iPhone 16 can utilize Visual Intelligence through the Camera Control. The update also expands Apple Intelligence availability to more English-speaking regions, beyond just US English.
iOS 18.1 is set to be publicly launched next week with Apple Intelligence support limited to US English. iOS 18.2 will include additional English locales such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
If you are in a market outside of these regions, you can change your device language to one of the supported languages to experience Apple Intelligence. Support for some non-English languages is expected to be officially rolled out next year. However, Apple Intelligence is disabled in China and the EU due to regulatory reasons.
iOS 18.1 features the initial set of Apple Intelligence functionalities including Writing Tools, Siri updates, Clean Up and Memory Movies in Photos, notification summaries, priority messages in Mail, and transcription summaries for phone calls.
iOS 18.2 builds upon this foundation, introducing generative image generation features for the first time. Image Playground allows users to create custom images from scratch using text prompts and theme suggestions in a cartoony style. Image Wand can transform a rough sketch made with the Apple Pencil into a rendered image. Genmoji enables users to create new emoji to share with friends through messages, with the Genmoji editor seamlessly integrated into the standard emoji keyboard.
iOS 18.2 also includes enhancements to Writing Tools, introducing a new text field that enables users to describe their changes with a freeform textual request. Additionally, ChatGPT has been integrated into Writing Tools, offering a new Compose with ChatGPT interface.
ChatGPT is also integrated into Siri in iOS 18.2, allowing Siri to delegate requests to ChatGPT for responses that it cannot handle. For instance, if you ask Siri to create an itinerary, it can forward the request to ChatGPT’s world knowledge models and provide the response inline after user permission is granted.
For iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro users, iOS 18.2 introduces Visual Intelligence, enabling access to a new viewfinder by holding down the Camera Control on the lock screen to quickly capture a photo for detailed information.
All these features are also available in the betas of macOS 15.2 and iPadOS 18.2, offering developers an early preview. Apple has not confirmed an official release date for iOS 18.2 but has indicated it will be available before the end of the year.
Looking ahead, we anticipate the introduction of additional Apple Intelligence features such as personal context awareness and in-app actions for Siri, as well as a new AI-enhanced priority notifications section on the iPhone lock screen in early 2025.
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