Apple released the iOS 18.2 Developer Beta 1 to iPhone on October 23, 2024, a week ahead of the planned release of iOS 18.1 stable.
The latest beta features bring functionalities powered by Apple Intelligence, the AI kit of tools announced at WWDC 2024 in May. These include Image Playground and Genmoji, besides integration of Siri features with ChatGPT.
All models compatible with the iOS 18 update, can download the latest iOS 18.2 Developer Beta 1 update. This deployment would reportedly be only for the models which support Apple Intelligence. Thus, the list of compatible models include recently launched iPhone 16, the iPhone 15 Pro, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Earlier beta updates contained basic AI-powered functionalities, such as writing tools and auto-movie generation in the Photos app. iOS 18.2 developer beta 1 vastly extends Apple Intelligence features in comparison to the earlier models.
One of the new features of iOS 18.2 is Image Playground. It enables users to generate images based on descriptive text with the help of generative AI. It also offers Genmoji, which lets one create their own emojis. Genmojis can be shared in apps like Messages, Notes, and Keynote. Another feature is the Image Wand tool that helps turn a rough sketch into a beautiful image within the Notes app. However, it is only accessible after an early access request that has to be submitted following the installation of the update.
Siri is now built with ChatGPT. This means that its voice assistant will offer even more insightful responses to questions and information from photos and documents.
Part of the Writing Tools feature is also an integration of Apple Intelligence, which enables improvements in the composition of text through prompts. This integration requires a paid account with ChatGPT, for accessing enhanced OpenAI models.
There is a new feature called Visual Intelligence available to iPhone 16 users. This works like Google Lens, where users can get results from the web or ChatGPT using a long press on the Camera Control button.
The feature also comes with some other enhancements like a new Email app with in-device categorisation. Users can put emails into four categories, Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions.
Apple has expanded the availability of Apple Intelligence to more English-speaking regions, and now supports the following languages:
English (Australia)
English (Canada)
English (New Zealand)
English (South Africa)
English (United Kingdom)