Apple could release iOS 18.2 update for iPhone sooner than expected
Apple introduced the iOS 18.1 update last week that brought Apple Intelligence, the company’s suite of artificial intelligence (AI) features, to iPhone and other devices. Now a report suggests that the next wave of Apple Intelligence features, including ChatGPT integration in Siri and a new Image Playground app, will arrive sooner than expected with the iOS 18.2 update for iPhone. The release timeline of other iOS 18 updates has also been suggested, along with the improvements they may bring.
iOS 18.2 Update Release Timeline
Apple previously confirmed that the iOS 18.2 update with more Apple Intelligence features would arrive in December. Release trends of similar updates from the past suggest this could happen in the second week of the month. But in his Power on newsletterBloomberg’s Mark Gurman claimed that the release of iOS 18.2 could happen earlier than planned. It could be rolled out the week of December 2.
It is reported that this update will introduce Apple Intelligence to more English languages than just English-American.
Additionally, Gurman suggested that the “next major update for Apple Intelligence” will arrive with the iOS 18.4 update. This will reportedly launch sometime in April 2025 and will bring improvements to Siri, including the ability to access user data and change answers to questions based on it.
iOS 18.2 Update Features (Expected)
Apple’s iOS 18.2 update is expected to introduce a number of important Apple Intelligence features. This includes a new Image Playground app, which uses generative AI to create images from text-based prompts. It also bundles Genmoji, which does the same for emojis instead of images. Users can share these images and emojis in apps like Messages, Notes, and Keynote. Moreover, it also includes an Image Wand feature that can transform a rough sketch into an image using descriptive prompts.
Apple has also brought ChatGPT integration to Siri with the latest update. The voice assistant can now take advantage of the capabilities of OpenAI’s AI chatbot to provide users with more in-depth answers to questions. They can now ask for ChatGPT directly through Siri to get better answers. With iOS 18.2, ChatGPT also becomes part of Writing Tools. The feature requires optional sign-in, and iPhone users with a paid ChatGPT account can use their account to access more powerful OpenAI models.
