iOS 18.2 released for iPhone: New functions for camera, photos, Safari & AirTags 64 comments
Image: Apple
Still no Apple Intelligence, but a lot of little things: For German-speaking users, there are few notable innovations with iOS 18.2, but there are a large number of changes. This affects on the one hand the control of the iPhone 16 camera, but also the AirTags, the photos application and the Safari browser.
No Apple Intelligence, but still some changes
So hats off Apple once again light, changes to the photos app, often criticized by the community, and adjust navigation using a swipe gesture, including other improvements when viewing photos and of videos. Favorites are now also displayed under “Other”. The location of AirTags and compatible accessories can now be shared with third parties.
Improved camera controls
Offer for users of the new iPhone 16 Apple iOS 18.2 also includes the two-step trigger, which was still missing in the Techtip test for the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Now focus and exposure can also be adjusted.
Safari and App Store
An innovation for Safari should also be noticeable: When downloading content, a live activity is launched with iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2, which also shows the download progress in Dynamic Island on the iPhone. Additionally, Apple added new wallpapers for Safari. The stock market app now has access to pre-market prices for NASDAQ and NYSE tickers, and if you want, you can even uninstall the App Store after the update or manage your previous standard apps in a new menu.
A full overview of all changes can be found at the end of the article.
There are significant innovations outside the EU and China
For more changes, users will have to consider changing their location or at least wait until April: as they are released outside the EU and China. Apple the second stage of Apple Intelligence, the company’s AI capabilities.
Still limping Apple These are the promises of June’s WWDC 2024, but the changes are slowly taking shape: Siri can now use ChatGPT and easily transmit more complex queries and read the response. With new image templates, the company activates Genmoji and Image Playground, in both cases users can use artificial intelligence to create new emojis or images, but they do not go beyond the quality of ChatGPT or Dall-E3. With Image Wand, sketches also become AI images.
Visual intelligence is here
iPhone 16 (Pro) also has exclusive access to Visual Intelligence so you can request more information from Google or ChatGPT after taking a photo. The AI’s text editing has also been expanded: it can now generate content itself with just a few inputs. The mail app was also expanded at the same time, as it now helps Apple Intelligence also works here and pre-sorts emails in mailboxes. Previously, only news was highlighted.
Macs also get AI features in Germany
Anyone with a Mac can also access the new features of macOS 15.2 here, provided the computer is set to English. But there is also an exception here: the new Apple messaging app Intelligence is currently not available for Mac.
Apple Intelligence and ChatGPT (Image: Apple)
Siri update not yet here
However, Siri still does not have access to Apple Intelligence AI features, this could only be introduced with iOS 19. Until then, Siri should receive a major update at least early next year and will then be able to control parts of the iPhone.
All changes since iOS 18.2
Camera controls (iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max) Camera controls dual-level shutter lets you lock focus and exposure time in the Camera app by lightly tapping the camera controls. Photos Improvements to video viewing, including the ability to navigate from frame to frame and turn off the video’s autoplay loop. Collection view navigation improvements, including the ability to swipe right to return to the previous view. History of the last viewed and shared albums can be cleared. The Favorites album appears in the Other collection in addition to the pinned collections. Safari New wallpapers to design your Safari homepage are available. Using the import and export options, you can export browsing data from one Safari and import browsing data from another application into Safari. HTTPS priority updates URLs to HTTPS when possible. Live file upload activity shows the progress of a file upload in Dynamic Island and on your home screen. This update also includes the following improvements and bug fixes: Voice memos enable layered recordings. This lets you overlay a vocal recording over an existing song idea without the need for headphones, then import your two-track projects directly into Logic Pro (iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max). With the “Share Item Location” option in the “Where lost items can be located and found by easily and securely sharing the location of an AirTag or accessory across the Find My network with trusted third parties such than airlines. Thanks to the Find My network’s favorite categories in the “Podcasts” application, you can select Your favorite categories and receive relevant program recommendations that you can easily access in your media library. The personalized search page of the “Podcasts” application highlights the most relevant categories and collections collected by publishers especially for you. The Hearing Test feature on AirPods Pro. 2 is available in Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Romania, United Arab Emirates, Spain and the United Kingdom. The hearing aid feature of AirPods Pro 2 is supported in the United Arab Emirates. Use premarket prices in the Stock Market app to track the NASDAQ and NYSE tickers before the stock market opens. Fixes an issue where newly taken photos do not immediately appear in the All Photos grid. Fixes an issue where Night mode photos in the Camera app could appear low quality during long exposure periods (iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max).
Apple
Themes: iOS iPadOS iPhone macOS Smartphones
Sarah tracks innovations in smartphones, evaluating their performance, design, and key features.
