Apple (AAPL, Financials) has debuted a suite of artificial intelligence-driven features across all of its devices with iOS 18.2. Reflecting a 34.2% yearly increase year-to-date, Apple's shares peaked on Dec. 11 at $249.61, thereby approaching its 52-week high.
iOS 18.2 shows a significant increase in context-aware and more comprehensive responses with OpenAI's ChatGPT incorporated into Siri. This feature might be enabled in Settings or by asking Siri phrases like "Ask ChatGPT to....". Siri requests user permission by default before starting searches on ChatGPT; this confirmation may be turned off.
Included in the update also is "Genmoji," which enables users create custom emoji-like stickers by sketching their desired appearance. One might share these personalized emoticons across other chat programs. Emphasizing artistic or cartoon pictures to reduce damage, the "Image Playground" program also allows users to generate images from text inputs. Among the apps this utility links with are Messages, Freeform, and Keynote.
Crude sketches become polished graphics with preset styles like animation, illustration, and sketch using the "Image Wand" feature included in the Notes app. For Apple 16 users, "visual intelligence" utilizes the camera to recognize objects and provide information or react according on what it discovers. Long-pressing the Camera Control button lets users access options like "Ask," which uses ChatGPT to address questions about the object, "Search," which finds similar images online, and "More," thereby offering further AI-driven capabilities.
iOS 18.2 also features daily sudoku puzzles in Apple News Plus, ability to share AirTag locations, and enhanced English language support for Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK. Plans include for support for further languages including Chinese, French, Portuguese, and Spanish around 2025.
