iOS 18.2 launch LIVE: The biggest Apple Intelligence upgrade yet for iPhone, iPad, and Mac is here

iOS 18.2 rollout is starting

If you’ve been eagerly awaiting the arrival of iOS 18.2 – maybe to create custom emojis with Genmoji or to get a supercharged answer from Siri courtesy of ChatGPT – it’s beginning to hit eligible devices, at least on the East Coast of the United States here in New Jersey.

On an iPhone 16, the update comes in at 7.83 GB, which is pretty sizeable, especially for a dot software upgrade. As we’ve listed below, iOS 18.2 ushers in the next set of Apple Intelligence features, including Genmoji, Image Playground, ChatGPT integration, and enhanced writing tools.

Of course, the first step to getting any of these new features is to download and install the latest version, then opt in to Apple Intelligence. While there is no waitlist for these image generation tools, your Apple device will need to download the specific models for Genmoji and Image Playground. It’s best to be on Wi-Fi for that to be quicker, but once set, you can get to generating.

Hello there, Jacob Krol – TechRadar’s Managing Editor News – hopping in to carry us through the next half of Apple’s iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, macOS Sequoia 15.2 launch and rollout, which for the United States should hopefully begin hitting eligible devices within the next hour.

I’ve been on the beta for iOS 18.2 for past few months and I’d say Genmoji, the enhanced Writing Tools, and Image Playground have been my favorites so far.

While we don’t have an exact time, I would expect iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 to arrive around 6 pm UK, 1 pm ET, 10 am PT.

If my prediction is correct, you’ve got just over an hour to charge up your Apple devices and get ready to download and install iOS 18.2.

If you need a reminder on what devices are compatible with Apple Intelligence, here’s what you need to own:

• iPhone 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max
• Any iPhone 16
• Any M-series MacBook
• Any M-series iPad
• iPad mini 7 with A17 Pro

Still no sign of the iOS 18.2 update, and some users on X are getting frustrated. I expect the new operating systems to arrive in the next few hours, so just remain patient as it’s definitely going to launch today.

I can’t wait to see what everyone thinks of iOS 18.2, as I was incredibly impressed with just how feature-rich it was when I installed the developer beta last month. iOS 18.2 is what iOS 18 should’ve been, but we’ve just had to wait a few months to get it.

So… These are some Genmojis of me with my Frenchie, Kermit. As a huge fan of the Muppets and frogs, I also decided to make one of a French bulldog next to a frog. I’ve been using the Genmojis of me with my dog since I first created them about a month ago, who doesn’t want a custom emoji with their pet?

I’m surprised at how good a job Apple Intelligence did with these, I’m a bald man with a beard so it’s easy to recreate my likeness in emoji form, but even then it still manages to look like me. Good job Apple.

Right, well I’m glad we’ve covered nearly all of the bases in regards to the iOS 18.2 launch – now it’s time to have some fun while we wait for the update to appear on iPhones worldwide.

I’m going to take a look through my emoji keyboard and find my favorite Genmojis, I’m intrigued to see what TechRadar readers think!

I noticed a weird issue with the ChatGPT extension that might impact some of you installing iOS 18.2 today.

If you used our workaround to access Apple Intelligence early in the UK, when you decide to change your language back from US English to UK English, you might notice ChatGPT disappear.

If this happens all you need to do is change the region of your iPhone too and ChatGPT should reappear. This issue left me scratching my head for weeks, so I’m glad I managed to find the reason why and share it with you all.

Are you keeping up? My hands are trying to.

If you’re in the UK, Australia, or one of the other countries I mentioned below, today is the first day you can use Apple Intelligence without needing a workaround.

So not only are you getting access to everything I listed below as part of iOS 18.2 but you’re also getting Writing Tools, Clean Up, a Siri redesign, Notification summaries, and other Apple Intelligence benefits sprinkled throughout your iPhone’s operating system.

It might seem like there’s too much getting added all at once, but don’t worry Apple wants you to use Apple Intelligence when you need it, so expect to see the features pop up naturally throughout iOS rather than you having to look for them.

That has to be everything right? Nope, iOS 18.2 brings a massive overhaul to the Mail app using Apple Intelligence to create Categories that help you determine just how important an email actually is.

I’ve found this update to Mail genuinely useful and have actually reverted back to using Mail over the Gmail app for the first time in ages. Not only do you get Apple Intelligence summaries built-in, but AI will also decide if an email is important and prioritize it over everything else in your inbox.

If you don’t like the way it works, you can always revert back to a more traditional Mail layout.

There’s also Image Wand, which allows you to circle anything you’ve drawn in the Notes app and use Apple Intelligence to turn it into an AI generated image.

I could see Image Wand being incredibly useful for students, who want to bring their drawings to live alongside lecture notes or other study info.

It’s also a great tool to show to kids, allowing them to see magic as basic drawings become full images right in front of their very own eyes.

Image Wand is very cool, and I actually think it might end up being more useful than Image Playground, just because of how you access it.

And another one…

Yep that’s right there’s even more new Apple Intelligence additions as part of iOS 18.2. Genmoji isn’t the only image generator built into iOS now, Apple also added a new app called Image Playground.

Image Playground is Apple’s attempt at the best AI image generator, and it can be used throughout your iPhone’s operating system. Simply choose your prompt, choose your art style, and watch as Apple Intelligence creates some image magic.

If you don’t use AI image generators like MidJourney, I don’t expect you to get much use out of Image Playground. That said, it’s a nice to have and it’s very simple to use. Who says no to extra features, right?

The features keep on coming. iOS 18.2 adds ChatGPT to Siri, allowing you to ask OpenAI’s chatbot anything you want, when Siri doesn’t quite cut it.

The ChatGPT extension can be accessed at any time through Siri by simply asking a question or using Type to Siri. If Siri can’t answer the specific prompt, it will give you the option to access ChatGPT.

There’s a couple of settings that allow you to bypass the request so you don’t need to approve access to ChatGPT every time you want to use it, but Apple has included an option that requires your approval every single time – just to be extra cautious.

ChatGPT as part of iOS is a massive update and one that I think many Apple users never really expected to see. It’s quite incredible to think that we now have access to one of the world’s best AI chatbots directly from Siri, and best of all, it works seamlessly.

Next up, Visual Intelligence.

This new Apple Intelligence feature in iOS 18.2 is exclusive to the best iPhones, specifically the iPhone 16 lineup. It’s similar to Google Lens, but built by Apple and directly tied into the new Camera Control on the latest iPhones.

Simply hold down on Camera Control, then take a photo of anything and either ask ChatGPT for more information or search for information with Google. I think the fact that you can launch Visual Intelligence whenever you want makes it a very compelling feature and one that many might fall in love with.

You can read more about my first impressions of Visual Intelligence and how to use it, where I cover why I think Visual Intelligence finally makes Camera Control worth it.

Let’s go through each of the big new Apple Intelligence features coming to iPhone with iOS 18.2, starting with my personal favorite, Genmoji.

I’ve been using Genmoji for a few weeks now and I think it’s the best Apple Intelligence feature to get started with, purely because it’s so much fun!

I’ve had a blast creating emojis of a frog on a skateboard, a frog driving a car, and even a frog playing the drums. My favorite way to use Genmoji, however, is by creating emojis based on my photos alongside my French Bulldog, Kermit.

Honestly, I think most of my friends are starting to block my number because Genmoji is becoming my sole means of communication. Maybe I should try and tone it down. But where’s the fun in that?

Genmoji is an absolute blast and I advise anyone installing iOS 18.2 to give it a try. If you need help I’ve also covered how to use Genmoji.

Apple Intelligence has arrived (in some countries)

Oh, and if you’re in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, or the UK, you can now access Apple Intelligence without any workarounds.

That’s right, Apple Intelligence is now officially out in more countries worldwide with support for localized languages. Apple says additional languages, including Chinese, English (India), English (Singapore), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese will be coming throughout the year, with an initial set arriving in a software update in April.

Where shall we start? iOS 18.2 is rolling out today alongside iPadOS 18.2 and macOS Sequoia 15.2. The new update brings Genmoji, Apple’s generative AI emojis, to iPhone and iPad (sorry Mac users you’ll need to wait a little longer), as well as major upgrades to Siri that allow you to ask ChatGPT directly from your favorite voice assistant.

If that wasn’t enough, there’s also an AI image generator called Image Playground, as well as Visual Intelligence, an exclusive iPhone 16 feature.

It can all get a bit overwhelming, considering just how much is launching as part of iOS 18.2, but fret not, I’ve been using Apple Intelligence for months and I’ve got you covered.

Welcome to TechRadar’s iOS 18.2 launch live blog. My name is John-Anthony Disotto and I’m TechRadar’s Senior AI Writer and resident Apple Intelligence expert. I’ll be covering all things iOS 18.2 over the next few hours.

So sit back, grab a cup of hot beverage, and let’s get ready to jump into the world of Genmoji.