The first developer beta of iOS 18.2 takes the wraps off a series of new features related to Apple Intelligence that developers are free to experiment with. That follows an iOS 18.1, which Apple is set to roll out shortly. This will provide Apple Intelligence tools exclusively for US English users initially.
However, iOS 18.2 will expand availability to more English-speaking regions, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Those users who lie outside these regions can make use of the features with enabling the device language to any one of the supporting versions. Apple Intelligence is yet to be available in China or even in the EU due to stringent regulations.
iOS 18.2 beta adds new stuff to the features introduced in iOS 18.1, like Writing Tools, Siri updates, Clean Up and Memory Movies in Photos, notification summaries, priority messages in Mail, and transcription summaries for phone calls. It also introduces new ones:
Images: Features include Image Playground, which generates individually made images from text prompts with a cartoon-like twist; Image Wand, which transforms simple rough sketches into full-fledged images; and Genmoji, through which users can generate unique emojis for messaging purposes.
Advanced writing tools: Writing Tools include a "Describe your change" text area for free-text requests and integration with ChatGPT for advanced composition support.
Siri with ChatGPT: Siri can now do much more by tapping into ChatGPT for deeper, more complex tasks, such as creating itineraries, using its own data.
Visual intelligence: It's available only on iPhone 16 series and lets users tap a photo and instantly know what is in an image or in a scene, all from a new viewfinder that appears right on the lock screen.
The updates are also coming in the developer betas of macOS 15.2 and iPadOS 18.2. More broadly, iOS 18.2 beta heralds the expansion of Apple's AI-powered capabilities offering creative, productivity, and enhanced user experience features on supported devices.