iOS 18.2 release notes: New Apple Intelligence features and non-AI tweaks

Read the iOS 18.2 release notes to learn about the second wave of Apple Intelligence features and other iPhone improvements in this update.

To download and install an over-the-air iOS 18.2 update on your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Software Update and follow the instructions.

iOS 18.1 brought the first set of Apple Intelligence features. iOS 18.2 adds six new Apple Intelligence capabilities, including AI image creation. Apple Intelligence is compatible with the iPhone 15 Pros and the whole iPhone 16 lineup, but is still restricted to English. However, iOS 18.2 expands language support to localized English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

Apple said earlier that Apple Intelligence will expand to more languages over the course of 2025, including Chinese, English (India), English (Singapore), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese and others.

iOS 18.2 release notes

Apple’s iOS 18.2 changelog is included below. The same release notes are in Software Update and can be perused later on Apple’s support page.

This update introduces new features powered by Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system that unlocks powerful new ways to communicate, work and express yourself, all while protecting your data with an extraordinary step forward for privacy in AI. New features include Image Playground which lets you create delightful, fun images, Genmoji to create original emoji to share with family and friends, ChatGPT support integrated right into Siri and Writing Tools, and more. This release also includes Visual intelligence with Camera Control, enhancements to Mail, Photos, Safari and other features, bug fixes and security updates for your iPhone.

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
● Image Wand turns sketches and handwritten or typed notes into images in Notes

Writing Tools
● 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

Other 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)

Apple’s security page detailing security fixes in its software will be updated with information on the security content of iOS 18.2, including important bug fixes and patches for serious vulnerabilities, soon after the update arrives.

iOS 18.3 is coming in Spring 2025

Apple is not done rolling out new features. iOS 18.3, expected to drop around Spring 2025, should make Apple Intelligence available in non-English languages. And if iOS 18.3 ends up having so many quality-of-life improvements like iOS 18.2, it’s going to be another feature-packed release for Apple fans.

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