Apple has announced that iOS 18.2 will be available for download starting Wednesday. Alongside iOS 18.2, updates for macOS 15.2 Sequoia, iPadOS 18.2, watchOS 11.2, tvOS 18.2, and visionOS 2.2 will also be available for supported devices.
One of the significant updates outside the EU and China is the integration of ChatGPT into Siri and Apple’s AI writing tools. Users can use OpenAI’s chatbot in iOS 18 with or without an OpenAI account. Mac users in the EU can activate Apple Intelligence by switching their operating system language from German to English.
The new “Image Playground” app allows users to generate comic-style images using portraits and photos from their library. Users can also create new emojis through text prompts, which Apple calls “Genmojis.” In Germany and other EU countries, this AI package will launch in April 2025. A workaround allows users in Germany to unlock Apple Intelligence on iPhones and use it in English.
On iPhone 16 models, the camera button now supports focus and exposure lock with a light press, similar to many system cameras. The camera control, on devices with Apple Intelligence, provides access to “Visual Intelligence,” which analyzes photo content using ChatGPT or Google’s image search.
Another new feature is the option to temporarily share the location of lost AirTags and other trackers with “Find My” support via a web link. Airlines like Lufthansa will accept these links to help locate lost luggage. Apple Mail is set to automatically categorize emails on iPhones, though this feature currently only works on devices with English as the operating system language and does not handle German emails well.
In compliance with the Digital Markets Act, Apple’s Safari browser will have a comprehensive export and import function to facilitate browser switching. With iOS 18.2, users can also set and manage default apps centrally in settings. For the first time, it’s possible to delete almost all pre-installed Apple apps from the device, except for Settings and Phone. Apple also promises two bug fixes related to photos: new photos should appear more reliably in the All Photos view of the Photos app, and an issue with dull-looking night shots on iPhone 16 Pro (Max) has been resolved.
For iPhones still running iOS 17, the update to iOS 18 now appears prominently and will automatically download in the background by default. However, Apple is also releasing a new version, 17.7.3, for iOS 17, which addresses security vulnerabilities.