iOS 18.2 beta testing is finally nearing its end. This iOS 18 update is expected to expand Apple Intelligence features. It also adds new functions for European users and more. This write-up covers everything you need to know about the new iOS 18.2 features coming soon to your iPhone.
Release date
If Apple follows the trend, iOS 18.2 should be released in December. So far, the company has only confirmed that this update will be available ” soon.” An accidental leak reveals that Apple plans to release this update on December 9.
iOS 18.2 beta 1 features
We can split iOS 18.2 beta features into three sections: Apple Intelligence, EU changes, and general updates.
Apple Intelligence Expansion
- Genmoji support: Create custom emojis by combining two figures; users can type a prompt like “monkey with pink hat” to make an entirely new emoji — here’s how to use Genmoji on your iPhone
- Image Playground: Users can create playful images in seconds, choosing from Animation, Illustration, or Sketch. This app is built right into apps like Messages and is also available in a dedicated app
- ChatGPT integration: When you feel Apple Intelligence isn’t enough, you can allow ChatGPT to access Writing Tools and other features for a better response
- Visual Intelligence: It helps users learn about objects and places faster than ever. Users can click and hold Camera Control to pull up the hours or ratings for a restaurant they pass, add an event from a flyer to their calendar, quickly identify a dog by breed, and more
- Image Wand: “Rough sketches can be turned into delightful images, and users can even select empty space to create an image using context from the surrounding area” in the Notes app
iOS 18.2 beta 1 also expands Apple Intelligence support to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
General Features
All-new Mail app: Mail is introducing new ways for users to manage their inboxes. On-device categorization organizes and sorts incoming emails into Primary for personal and time-sensitive emails, Transactions for confirmations and receipts, Updates for news and social notifications, and Promotions for marketing emails and coupons. Mail also features a new digest view that pulls together all of the relevant emails from a business, allowing users to quickly scan for what’s important at the moment.
Change default apps: iOS 18.2 beta 1 lets iPhone users change the Messages and Phone default apps.
Volume Limit: The Settings app now has a new Volume Limit control. This lets you limit how loud your iPhone speakers can play media.
Voice Memos: During the iPhone 16 event, Apple announced the iPhone 16 Pro would get a Voice Memos upgrade. With iOS 18.2, users can layer multiple tracks on top of each other.
iOS 18.2 beta 2 features
With iOS 18.2 beta 2, Apple made this build available to developers with all iOS 18-compatible devices. Previously, only Apple Intelligence-compatible devices could download the first testing version.
ChatGPT improvements: Under Settings, Apple tells you how much you have used the free version of ChatGPT and prompts you to upgrade to a + subscription.
Find My changes: With beta 2, Apple offers the option to Share Item Location with an “airline or trusted person.” This feature creates a link that lets someone easily access your AirTag’s location.
Create Images expansion: Another Apple Intelligence feature available with iOS 18.2 beta 2 is the ability to create an image when you highlight text in the Notes app.
Camera Control tweaks: iPhone 16 users now get a new AE/AF Lock toggle under Settings > Camera > Camera Control, offering yet another feature for this technology.
iOS 18.2 beta 2 also offers other tweaks and improvements. Apple says it has improved battery life and device temperature; in Dark Mode, Apple added tweaks on how the apps look under Settings, and iPhone Mirroring now works with your iPhone being used as a hotspot for the Mac.
iOS 18.2 beta 3 features
As the beta test cycle follows, iOS 18.2 beta 3 brings a few other changes.
Photos app tweak: Videos in the Photos app no longer zoom in or out when you tap on them.
Camera Control: Apple added a new toggle when opening third-party apps with the Camera Control app. Users can choose to open a camera app only when the screen is on.
TV app tweak: As noted by 9to5Mac, the TV app navigation bar can be customized. Users can choose their favorite shortcuts to be shown.
iOS 18.2 Release Notes
According to Apple, iOS 18.2 offers these features and bug fixes:
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 OpenAl 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 OpenAl’s models
- Sign in with ChatGPT to access your account benefits, and requests will be covered by OpenAl’s data policies
- Image Wand turns sketches and handwritten or typed notes into images in Notes
- 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 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
This update also includes the following 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)
iPhone compatibility
iOS 18.2 beta 1 was only compatible with iPhones that support Apple Intelligence:
- iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus
- iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max
Beta 2 offered compatibility with all iPhones that support iOS 18:
- iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (2nd gen)
- iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (3rd gen)
- iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus
- iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus
Wrap up
BGR will update this article as we learn more about upcoming iOS 18.2 features through this beta cycle.
