iOS 18.2 with Genmoji and Image Playground could arrive earlier than expected

If the update of iOS 18.1 has already brought Apple Intelligence to our devices, the arrival of iOS 18.2 will take the next big step with the introduction of Apple’s artificial intelligence image tools. Apple had already announced that this new version would arrive sometime in December, but the information published by Mark Gurman shows the importance of this release. One that could arrive a bit earlier than expected.

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An update we can no longer wait for

Apple has a release schedule for updates that follows a fairly consistent pattern year after year. Everything begins with the release of the official iOS version of the year, which usually coincides with the presentation of the new iPhone models in September. This first release establishes the foundation of the new features that Apple has designed for its latest generation of devices and brings the bulk of the innovations.

Subsequently, the .1 version arrives, which is generally released in October, fixing some initial bugs and refining the experience with some minor improvements. For the holiday season, Apple usually releases an X.2 update in December, which traditionally appears in the second or even third week of the month and brings several new features.

This year, however, Apple seems to be accelerating the release schedule, as the anticipated iOS 18.2 could arrive during the first week of December, according to Mark Gurman’s predictions in his weekly newsletter Power On. The decision to bring forward the release undoubtedly responds to the significance of the new features it will include, such as Genmoji and Image Playground, designed to offer us artificial intelligence tools related to images.

If that wasn’t enough, we also find the integration of ChatGPT in Siri which substantially improves the assistant’s response capability. With iOS 18.2, the arrival of English support for several countries has also been confirmed. This includes users from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

In addition to updates related to Apple Intelligence, iOS 18.2 includes new features. One of them is the Default Apps section in Settings, which allows us to manage our applications in a more centralized way. An option to report inappropriate content in iMessage has also been added for Australia.
Regarding entertainment, Apple News+ subscribers in the United States will be able to enjoy daily Sudokus.

These, which could be the only new features of a version that might be expected until the end of December, combined with Apple Intelligence, require a somewhat earlier release. Thus, iOS 18.2 should arrive sooner than it would be expected under other circumstances. A release that will be the second major step in bringing artificial intelligence to our devices and will already focus on the next stage.

The one that will arrive with iOS 18.4 in April and that will bring Apple Intelligence to Europe, will extend languages beyond English and will allow Siri to have personal context and awareness of what is on the screen when making our request. Meanwhile, sooner rather than later, we will have updates to install on our iPhone and iPad.