iOS 18.2 beta 3: 4 Apple Intelligence features you can test now
The full suite of Apple Intelligence features isn't quite ready for primetime yet, but you can at least test some of them out prior to their proper launch.
Apple launched the third beta for iOS 18.2 this week. If you've gotten past the Apple Intelligence waitlist, this beta lets you get a taste of the new AI-powered features. It should be noted that these features actually entered the public beta last week and the latest beta release is mostly dedicated to bug fixes.
iOS 18.2 beta: 4 new Apple Intelligence features
Apple Intelligence introduced its highly anticipated image-based AI tools in earlier betas, but with iOS 18.2 developer beta 3, you can keep experimenting with the following:
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Image Playground
First up is Image Playground, Apple's standard text-to-image generative AI tool.
It works how you'd expect: Type some text into a box describing what you want to see, and eventually, an image will pop up that should, theoretically, depict what you wrote.
That said, it's not that basic. The software will make suggestions for things to add to your photos and you can even use existing photos as inspiration for your creations. You can, of course, share your creations through the Messages app.
Genmoji
Next up is Genmoji, or AI-generated emoji.
You can use text descriptions or existing photos of people to create custom emoji.
Visual Intelligence
On the more practical, though less creative side, is Visual Intelligence.
This feature allows iPhone 16 users (yes, it is exclusive to the newest iPhones) to open up the Camera app, aim it at something, and have AI give you some pertinent information about what you focused on.
For instance, aim your camera at a business, and you might get service hours or user reviews. Visual Intelligence can also do dirty work like detecting phone numbers and addresses in images to add to your contacts list. Oh, and it can copy and paste text, which will most likely be the most useful thing about it.
Siri with ChatGPT
Finally, Siri's upcoming ChatGPT enhancements are available via the iOS 18.2 beta. The way this works is that if you ask Siri a question and it can't come up with a satisfying answer on its own, you will be prompted to optionally consult ChatGPT instead. Siri will present the answer, but ChatGPT is where it comes from.
Oh, and unlike the web version of ChatGPT, you don't need to make an account to use this feature. Take notes, OpenAI.
You can download the third developer beta of iOS 18.2 by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Beta versions of iOS can be rough around the edges, so don't forget to make a backup.
Alex Perry is a tech reporter at Mashable who primarily covers video games and consumer tech. Alex has spent most of the last decade reviewing games, smartphones, headphones, and laptops, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He is also a Pisces, a cat lover, and a Kansas City sports fan. Alex can be found on Bluesky at yelix.bsky.social.
