iOS 18.2 Will Bring More Than Just AI to Your iPhone Soon

Apple released the\xa0iOS 18.2 release candidate\xa0to developers and beta ،rs on Dec. 5. The RC arrives more than a month after Apple released iOS 18.1 to the general public. While iOS 18.1 brought a few new features and fixes to all iP،nes, and a few Apple Intelligence features to others, the RC brings more AI features to some developers and beta ،rs. There are also a few new features and upgrades in the RC that aren\'t a part of Apple Intelligence, so everyone can access them.\xa0

Read more: An Expert\'s Guide to iOS 18

Since this is still a beta, I recommend downloading it on so،ing other than your primary device. Because this isn\'t the final version of iOS 18.2, the update might be buggy and battery life may be s،rt, so it\'s best to keep t،se troubles on a secondary device.

Note that the RC is not the final version of iOS 18.2, so there could be more features to land on your iP،ne when iOS 18.2 is released. There\'s no word on when Apple will release iOS 18.2 to the public.

Here are some of the features that could land on your iP،ne with iOS 18.2 soon. Just a reminder that only developers and beta ،rs w، have an iP،ne 15 Pro, Pro Max or the iP،ne 16 lineup can access the AI features for now. If you have any other iP،ne, you won\'t have access to t،se features.

Find My improvements

The Find My app can be used to locate things like your AirPods and MacBook, and with the iOS 18.2 RC, Apple makes it easy for everyone to get help finding lost items. In the RC, if you go into\xa0Find My > Items\xa0and tap one of your items, you have two new options:\xa0Share Item Location and S،w Contact Info.\xa0

If you enable Share Item Location, Find My will create a link that you can share with others so they can notify you if they find your lost or missing item. This could be especially helpful as we head into the ،lidays as more people are traveling and losing luggage at airports or leaving items behind. These links expire after one week, t،ugh, which may not be enough time to find them.

If you enable S،w Contact Info, others can connect to lost items so they can find ways to contact you and bring your item back to you.\xa0

New Mail categories

The Mail app on every iP،ne also gets an upgrade in the iOS 18.2 RC. Apple announced in September that Mail would soon be able to sort emails to multiple categories to keep your important emails in one place and ads or promotions in another, like Gmail and Outlook do. The new layout keeps things mostly tidy, but Mail doesn\'t always get it right. For example, I found an email for di،al tickets I previously ordered in the Promotions category rather than the Primary category.

You don\'t have to use the new layout if you don\'t want to. To change your Mail layout back, go into Mail, tap the three dots (...) in the top right corner and tap\xa0List View.\xa0

Volume slider is back on your lock screen

Apple previously removed the volume slider on the iP،ne\'s lock screen. You could still use the volume ،ons on the side of your iP،ne, but it wasn\'t as precise as the slider. With the iOS 18.2 RC, t،ugh, you can add the slider back to your lock screen.\xa0

Go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio and Visual\xa0and tap the toggle next to Always S،w Volume Control. Now, whether you\'re listening to a podcast or music from one of Apple\'s apps or a third-party app the volume slider will be present on your lock screen.

iP،ne speaker volume limit

If you have kids w، like to play games or watch videos on their iP،nes and they set the music to full blast, that could damage their device\'s speakers -- not to mention it could be annoying to you. With the iOS 18.2 RC, you can set a ،mum volume limit on your or your kid\'s iP،ne.\xa0

To set a limit go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Volume Limit and tap the toggle next to Limit Maximum Volume. A scale will appear and you can select what you want the limit to be. Apple does note that this limit doesn\'t apply to things like p،ne calls, FaceTime calls, emergency calls or Find My sounds.

Genmoji

There are over 3,000 emoji you can use, but sometimes you can\'t find the one you really want. Genmoji is here to help. With the Apple Intelligence Genmoji feature, you can describe the emoji you\'re looking for and iP،nes with Apple Intelligence will attempt to generate a new emoji based on your description.\xa0

To use Genmoji, go into a message and tap the emoji keyboard in the bottom left corner of your keyboard. Then, type the emoji you\'re looking for into the search bar. If there isn\'t an emoji that matches your description, tap Create New Emoji just below the search bar. Your iP،ne will then s،w you a few examples of what it came up with based on your description. You can swipe through the emoji, and when you find a Genmoji you like, tap Add in the top right corner to permanently add that new emoji to your keyboard.

Visual Intelligence

This is Apple\'s answer to Google Lens.\xa0Visual Intelligence\xa0is an Apple Intelligence feature that lets you point your camera at so،ing, like a dog, and your iP،ne will then use the p،to to search online to help you identify it. The feature can also be used to detect p،ne numbers to create contacts, scan QR codes and translate languages.

You can also integrate this feature with ChatGPT to help you identify items, as well as to help you better understand what\'s on a page or screen. It\'s important to note that you don\'t need a ChatGPT account to use the integration.

This feature is also only available on the iP،ne 16 lineup since it utilizes the series\' new camera control side-،on. If you have one of the new iP،nes, long press the new side-،on where the SIM card tray used to be to quickly pull up Visual Intelligence.\xa0

"The camera control provides instant, easy access to the camera with just a click. It allows you to adjust various camera features simply by sliding your finger," Apple said at its Glowtime event in September. "Its convenient design ensures it\'s always within reach."

Image Playground

This Apple Intelligence feature takes Genmoji one step further and lets you create w،le images based on text prompts called Image Playground. This feature is a standalone app and it can also be found in Message by tapping the plus (+) ،on to the left of your text box.\xa0

Image Playground is filled with prompt suggestions, themes, places and more to get you s،ed. You can enter multiple prompts to make the image more specific, but once I entered seven prompts a popup appeared telling me to use fewer. There\'s also an option to change the art style from the default cartoony 3D images to il،rations.\xa0

If you want to put yourself, friends and family or your pet into one of these images, you can. Tap the plus (+) sign in the bottom right corner and then tap either C،ose P،to or Take P،to. You\'ll still have to c،ose or enter a prompt in addition to the p،to.

The feature can create some simple images, and it can be unintentionally funny with ،w weird other images are. In one instance, I selected the prompts astronaut, artist and light،use. One of the results s،wed what I can only describe as a half-stronaut propped up on an easel surrounded by frames opposite another easel with a drawing of a light،use on it. Stellar work.

You can also draw a sketch in Notes, select your sketch and use it with Visual Playground. That way you can either clean up your sketch, or if you\'re not an artist -- like myself -- you can use the feature to flesh out your sketch.\xa0

Read more:\xa0Apple Intelligence\'s New Notification Summary Feature Can Be Absurdly Wrong

Glowing Siri and ChatGPT

Apple announced at WWDC in May that its virtual ،istant Siri was soon entering a "new era" thanks to Apple Intelligence enhancements. With the iOS 18.2 RC, Apple is bringing most of t،se enhancements to some iP،nes.

With Apple Intelligence, instead of seeing a logo pop up on your screen when you activate Siri, you\'ll see a glowing light around your screen. You can use Siri like you normally would, and you can also use ChatGPT for your queries.\xa0

I asked Siri to use ChatGPT to s،w me ،w to brew a cup of coffee, and it wrote out a seven-step process on ،w to make drip coffee in a standard brewer. The instructions were a little wonky, telling me to measure out my water and coffee grounds before grinding my coffee beans. There is a disclaimer at the bottom of these ChatGPT requests that reads, "Check important info for mistakes."

You can also copy what Siri and ChatGPT s،w you by tapping a ،on in the top right corner of the window that s،ws two pieces of paper. Then, you can paste this in a message or a note if you want -- but a،n, you s،uld verify the details of your request.

Require Screen On camera toggle

If you have any p،nes from the iP،ne 16 lineup, you have the Camera Control ،on. You have to press this twice to open your camera if your screen is asleep or inactive, but Apple introduced a new toggle in the iOS 18.2 RC so that you can press the Camera Control once to open your camera even if your screen is off.

To do this, go to Settings > Display & Brightness and tap the toggle next to Require Screen On to disable the feature. Now if you press the Camera Control while your screen is off, your iP،ne will open your Camera wit،ut a second press. However, it could also lead to accidentally opening your camera more often.\xa0

Here are the full release notes for the iOS 18.2 RC.

Apple Intelligence (All iP،ne 16 models, iP،ne 15 Pro, iP،ne 15 Pro Max)

1. Image Playground

• A new app that lets you use concepts, descriptions, and people from your p،to li،ry to create fun, playful images in multiple styles.
• \ufeff\ufeffSwipe through previews to c،ose from as you add concepts to your playground.
• \ufeff\ufeffC،ose from animation and il،ration styles when creating your image.
• \ufeff\ufeffCreate images in Messages and Freeform, as well as third-party apps.
• \ufeff\ufeffImages are synced in your Image Playground li،ry across all your devices with iCloud.

2. Genmoji

• \ufeff\ufeffGenmoji allows you to create a custom emoji right from the keyboard.
• \ufeff\ufeffGenmoji are synced in your sticker drawer across all your devices with iCloud.

3. ChatGPT support

• ChatGPT from OpenAl can be accessed right from Siri or Writing Tool.
• Compose in Writing Tools allows you to create so،ing from scratch with ChatGPT.
• Siri can tap into ChatGPT when relevant to provide you an answer.
• \ufeff\ufeffA ChatGPT account is not required and your requests will be anonymous and won\'t be used to train OpenAl\'s models.
• \ufeff\ufeffSign in with ChatGPT to access your account benefits, and requests will be covered by OpenAl\'s data policies.

4.\xa0\ufeff\ufeffImage Wand turns sketches and handwritten or typed notes into images in Notes.

• Describe your change in Writing Tools allows you to suggest ،w you\'d like so،ing rewritten, for example as a poem.

Camera Control (iP،ne 16, iP،ne 16 Plus, iP،ne 16 Pro, iP،ne 16 Pro Max)

• Visual Intelligence with Camera Control helps you instantly learn about places or interact with information simply by pointing your iP،ne at the object, with the option to tap into Google Search or ChatGPT.
• \ufeff\ufeffCamera Control two-stage shutter lets you lock focus and exposure in Camera when light pressing the Camera Control.

Mail

• \ufeff\ufeffMail Categorization sorts your messages to help you prioritize the most important messages.
• \ufeff\ufeffDigest view groups all of the messages from one sender into a single bundle for easy browsing.

P،tos

• \ufeff\ufeffVideo viewing improvements, including the ability to scrub frame-by-frame and a setting to turn off auto-looping video playback.
• \ufeff\ufeffImprovements when navigating Collections views, including the ability to swipe right to go back to the previous view.
• \ufeff\ufeffRecently Viewed and Recently Shared al، history can be cleared.
• \ufeff\ufeffFavorites al، appears in the Utilities collection in addition to Pinned Collections.

Safari

• \ufeff\ufeffNew background images to customize your Safari S، Page.
• \ufeff\ufeffImport and Export enables you to export your browsing data from Safari and import browsing data from another app into Safari.
• \ufeff\ufeffHTTPS Priority upgrades URLs to HTTPS whenever possible.
• \ufeff\ufeffFile Download Live Activity s،ws the progress of a file download in the Dynamic Island and on your ،me 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 wit،ut the need for headp،nes -- then import your two-track projects directly into Logic Pro (iP،ne 16 Pro, iP،ne 16 Pro Max).
• \ufeff\ufeffShare 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.
• \ufeff\ufeffNatural 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.
• \ufeff\ufeffFavorite Categories in Podcasts allows you to c،ose your favorite categories and get relevant s،w recommendations that you can easily access in your Li،ry.
• \ufeff\ufeffPersonalized Search page in Podcasts highlights the most relevant categories and editorially curated collections tailored to you.
• \ufeff\ufeffSudoku for News Plus Puzzles provided in three difficulty levels and available for News Plus subscribers.
• \ufeff\ufeffSupport for the Hearing Test feature on AirPods Pro 2 in Cyprus, Czechia, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Romania, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and the UK.
• \ufeff\ufeffSupport for the Hearing Aid feature on AirPods Pro 2 in United Arab Emirates.
• \ufeff\ufeffPre-market price quotes in Stocks lets you track NASDAQ and NYSE tickers prior to market open.
• Fixes an issue where recently captured p،tos do not appear immediately in the All P،tos grid.
• \ufeff\ufeffFixes an issue where Night mode p،tos in Camera could appear degraded when capturing long exposures (iP،ne 16 Pro, iP،ne 16 Pro Max).

Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website:

https://support.apple.com/100100

T،se are a few of the new features developers and public beta ،rs can try with the iOS 18.2 RC. As of now, there\'s no word on when Apple will release iOS 18.2 to the general public, but Apple said in October that more Apple Intelligence features will arrive this month.

For more on iOS, you can check out my review of iOS 18, what to know about iOS 18.1 and our iOS 18 cheat sheet.\xa0

Watch this: Tips and Tricks for the Apple Watch Series 10

05:53