Last week, Apple introduced the iOS 18.1 update, which added Apple Intelligence, a suite of artificial intelligence (AI) features, to iPhones and other devices. Now, a report says that the next batch of Apple Intelligence features, including ChatGPT integration into Siri and the new Image Playground app, will arrive with the iOS 18.2 update for iPhone earlier than expected. A release schedule for other iOS 18 updates has also been suggested, along with the improvements they may bring.
iOS 18.2 update release schedule
Apple previously confirmed that the iOS 18.2 update with additional Apple Intelligence features will be released in December. The release trends of similar past updates suggest that this could happen in the second week of the month. However, in his Power on newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said that the release of iOS 18.2 could happen earlier than planned. It can be deployed in the week of December 2.
This update is reported to introduce Apple Intelligence not only in Anglo-American, but also in other countries.
In addition, Gurman suggested that “the next big update to Apple Intelligence” will come with the iOS 18.4 update. This is reportedly slated for April 2025 and will improve Siri, including the ability to access user data and change responses to queries based on it.
iOS 18.2 update features (pending)
Apple’s iOS 18.2 update is expected to introduce several key Apple Intelligence features. This includes the new Image Playground app, which uses generative artificial intelligence to create images based on text prompts. It also integrates Genmoji, which does the same for emojis instead of images. Users can share these images and emoticons in apps like Messages, Notes, and Keynote. In addition, it also includes an Image Wand feature that can turn a rough sketch into an image with descriptive hints.
Apple also integrated ChatGPT into Siri with the latest update. Its voice assistant can now leverage OpenAI’s artificial intelligence chatbot capabilities to provide users with more detailed responses to queries. They can now ask ChatGPT directly through Siri to get better answers. With iOS 18.2, ChatGPT also becomes part of Writing Tools. This feature requires an additional login, and iPhone users with a paid ChatGPT account can use their account to access more powerful OpenAI models.