Apple rolled out the iOS 18.2 Public Beta 1 update for iPhones on Tuesday. It arrives approximately two weeks after the developer beta release. The latest update expands the range of features on offer powered by Apple Intelligence – the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) suite. This includes integrating Image Playground, Genmoji, ChatGPT into Siri, and other extensions. It also brings several camera control-related features exclusive to Apple’s latest iPhone 16 series.
iOS 18.2 Public Beta 1 update: What’s new
Apple previewed a bunch of AI additions at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024 in June, but only a few of them have been released. Image Playground and ChatGPT integration into Siri were announced as the most anticipated features, but both have remained elusive from Apple’s public beta updates, until now.
iOS 18.2 Public Beta 1 adds Image Playground, a standalone app that lets users create AI-powered images based on meta prompts that leverage generative AI. They can choose a reference person from their photo app to get inspiration and can choose from different art styles. The app also bundles a Genmoji feature that does everything as a photo playground but to create custom emojis. Apple says created images can be shared in apps like Messages, Notes, and Keynote.
Another notable addition is the Image Wand feature that can turn a rough drawing into a relevant image in the Notes app using Apple Intelligence.
Apart from the features related to creating images and emojis, another notable feature in iOS 18.2 Public Beta 1 is the integration of ChatGPT with Siri. iPhone users can now leverage OpenAI’s Large Language Model (LLM) to receive more in-depth responses to queries and insights about photos and documents from Siri – Apple’s voice assistant. ChatGPT also becomes part of the writing tools in the Apple Intelligence suite. It can now further change text based on text prompts or create entirely new text by analyzing what the user has previously typed.
Using ChatGPT as part of Siri on iPhone requires an optional sign-in, Apple says. iPhone users with a paid ChatGPT account can use their account to access more powerful OpenAI models without any daily limits.
For iPhone 16 users, the camera control button has additional capabilities thanks to visual intelligence. It’s said to be Apple’s own version of Google Lens, allowing users to point the camera lens at an object to search for on the web or ask ChatGPT for more information.
Other features of the update include a revamped email app with an on-device rating system and expanded availability of Apple Intelligence for more English-speaking languages ​​such as English (Australia), English (Canada), and English (New Zealand).
