Apple has finally released iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2, bringing a range of new Apple Intelligence features designed to enhance the user experience across iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
These updates build on the previous capabilities introduced by Apple, adding significant features that improve creativity, productivity, and privacy.
New Features in iOS 18.2
Image Playground Experience
The new Image Playground allows users to create personalized images with various themes, costumes, accessories, and more. By adding text descriptions or photos, users can generate images in different styles, such as Animation or Illustration.
This feature integrates with apps like Messages, Freeform, Keynote, and others, and is also available as a standalone app.
Create Genmoji for Fun Communication
Genmoji takes emojis to the next level. Users can type a description and generate custom emojis, including personalized ones based on photos from their library. These Genmoji can be customized with accessories such as hats or sunglasses and shared in messages or as stickers.
Image Wand for Enhanced Notes
The Notes app introduces Image Wand, allowing users to turn rough sketches into polished images. By circling parts of a note, users can create images that complement the text, using styles like Animation, Illustration, or Sketch.
Writing Tools with ‘Describe Your Change’
The new ‘Describe Your Change’ feature offers greater flexibility in writing, allowing users to specify the changes they want in their text. This update enables more personalized and dynamic revisions and is available across both Apple and third-party apps.
Visual Intelligence
Apple has introduced a new visual intelligence tool that enhances the Camera on the iPhone 16 lineup. This feature helps users instantly learn about objects and places, including summarizing or translating text, detecting contact information, and even searching for items online. Users can control when third-party tools like Google and ChatGPT are used, ensuring privacy.
ChatGPT Integration with Siri and Writing Tools
Apple now enables ChatGPT integration with Siri and Writing Tools, allowing users to access ChatGPT’s expertise without switching apps. Users can ask Siri to suggest ChatGPT for specific tasks, such as generating content or understanding images.
ChatGPT’s image generation can also be used to add visual elements alongside written content. Users can choose when to enable this integration, with their data privacy protected, as OpenAI does not store requests by default.
Expansion of Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence is expanding its language support, starting with English for Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the UK, and the US. Additional languages, including Chinese and several European languages, will be added later this year, with a major update scheduled for April.
Upcoming Features
In the future, Apple will introduce more advanced features. Siri will become more context-aware, offering personalized intelligence and taking actions across apps. New Priority Notifications will highlight important information, and a new Sketch style will be added to Image Playground, offering more detailed and realistic drawings.
Privacy in AI
Apple emphasizes privacy in AI, with on-device processing powering many of these new features. For requests requiring larger models, Private Cloud Compute ensures data privacy, as no user data is stored or shared with Apple. Independent experts verify the code to maintain this commitment to privacy.
Availability
- Available as a free software update with iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 in most regions, with localized English support for Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the UK, and the US.
- Mac users in the EU can access it on compatible devices with supported settings and languages. iPhone and iPad users in the EU will start receiving Apple Intelligence features in April.
- Compatible with iPhone 16 series, iPhone 15 Pro series, iPad with A17 Pro or M1 chips, and Mac with M1 and later.