New Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.2, including Genmoji, Image Playground, Image Wand, and ChatGPT integration, will likely hit your iPhone on Monday, December 9.
A press release from last month announcing the first wave of Apple Intelligence features said that additional AI capabilities “will be available in December.” Apple hasn’t provided an update regarding an iOS 18 release timeframe, but a new community notice from the British carrier EE gives us a good indication of when iOS 18 might release to the public.
The message informs customers that EE will disable the iOS feature, allowing Wi-Fi calling on other supported iCloud-connected devices on December 9. Considering iOS 18.2 includes a new EE carrier setting which removes this feature, it can be inferred with a high degree of certainty that iOS 18.2 and related software updates will drop on December 9.
Such leaks in the past accurately pinpointed iOS release dates, meaning we have no reason to doubt the veracity of this particular leak. iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 will bring the second wave of Apple Intelligence capabilities to the masses, including AI image creation via the new Image Playground app. Another facet of it will be Genmoji, referring to the ability to create custom emoji characters with prompts.
The new Image Wand feature in the Notes app can smartly convert rough sketches into compelling visuals. For example, you can sketch what looks like a circular or triangular object with your finger or Apple Pencil and use Image Wand to convert it to a precise circle or triangle. Don’t feel like sketching? Just circle anything in the Notes app; Apple Intelligence will analyze the surrounding content to create an appropriate picture.
Other noteworthy Apple Intelligence features arriving alongside iOS 18.2, and other updates include ChatGPT integration with Siri and enhanced Writing Tools, automatic mail categorization in the Mail app, and more.
Exclusive to the iPhone 16 lineup, Visual Intelligence will bring Google Lens-like functionality where you point the camera at something to quickly pull related information from the web.
iOS 18.2 will expand Apple Intelligence to other English-speaking locales beyond U.S. English, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
Apple Intelligence supports iPhone 16 Pros and newer and Apple silicon-powered Macs and iPads. You need at least four gigabytes of free storage space to use the latest AI features. “Storage requirements for on-device Apple Intelligence models will increase as more features roll out,” notes Apple’s support page.
Aside from Apple Intelligence, iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 bring other changes that will make using your iPhone, iPad, and Mac more enjoyable. For example, a new Default Apps section in Settings > Apps lets you easily change default apps for email, web browsing, calling, contactless transactions, and more.
For iPhone 16 owners, iOS 18.2 brings additional options for the Camera Control capture button in Settings > Camera > Camera Control. Here, you can adjust the double-click speed, turn on the ability to lock auto exposure and auto focus by applying light pressure on the capture button, as well as require your iPhone’s display to be on to launch a camera app with Camera Control. In the Camera app, Camera Control can now switch to the selfie camera.
The Find My app lets you share the location of a lost AirTag or a third-party item tracker with others via a link. Apple has also partnered with major airlines to let you use this feature to help find your lost luggage.
The progress of Safari downloads is now displayed on the lockscreen and in the Dynamic Island. Apple News+ subscribers in the U.S. can play daily sudoku puzzles in the News app.
iOS 18.2 will also fix some of the annoyances plaguing earlier releases. For example, the volume slider in the Now Playing widget on the lockscreen has been reinstated after being removed in iOS 16, but you need to turn it on manually in Settings ➝ Accessibility ➝ Audio & Visual > Always Show Volume Control. Videos in the Photos app now play in fullscreen instead of playing zoomed-in with thick borders and requiring a tap to expand.
And my personal favorite, the iPhone Mirroring feature now works when using your iPhone as a personal hotspot. When not at my writing station, I blog wherever I happen to be, including coffee shops and shopping malls. I use the Personal Hotspot feature to borrow my iPhone’s cellular connection for my Mac and am glad Apple has fixed this because I can’t be bothered to turn off the hotspot whenever I want to use iPhone Mirroring.
For EU iPhone owners, iOS 18.2 allows them to delete additional built-in apps, including Safari, Camera, App Store, and Safari. As you can see for yourself, iOS 18.2 is another feature-packed update with more than two dozen new features for your iPhone.
Source: MacRumors, EE
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