- IOS 18.3 is now available for all users, alongside a few other Apple software updates.
- For the first time, this update allows Apple Intelligence by default.
- This update deploys a corrective for notification summaries and improvements in visual intelligence.
After a few weeks of developer and public beta, Apple has finally published iOS 18.3 to the public today – which means that if you have an iPhone capable of running the software, you can install it as an update in direct right now.
It also offers two significant improvements to Apple Intelligence and lights the default functionality suite. However, in the world of Apple software updates, iOS 18.3 is smaller that works more under the hood rather than providing new flashy features.
Apple has also published several updates for its other devices: iPados 18.3, MacOS Sequoia 15.3 and Watchos 11.3. Updates for the Apple Vision Pro, the Homepod and Homepod Mini, and the Apple TV 4K also dropped, so it’s the right time to check the updates.
The big change, however, with the most recent software updates of Apple is that Apple Intelligence is activated by default. So, if you don’t want chatgpt integration for Siri, image games, personalized emojis, writing tools or notification summaries, in this case, you will have to navigate to the settings and disable the suite of features.
The pack of features with iOS 18.3 is new tips for visual intelligence. Initially teasing in September 2024, when Apple unveiled the iPhone 16 range, the camera control could be a little more beyond taking photos, especially by allowing you to take a photo of anything and to search for it on Google or to ask for help from pussy.
Now, with iOS 18.3, visual intelligence can help you identify a pet – it worked well with my mini bernedoodle, rosie – and different types of plants. In addition, if you analyze a poster or something with a date on it, you can export this right to your calendar to create a new event.
This certainly makes visual intelligence more useful. Given that it is similar to Google Lens and other applications, including the iOS Chatgpt application, which has become more multimodal, Apple certainly seeks to improve the continuous experience. It also builds Apple Intelligence features; Remember that these are still in beta version.
The other Apple Intelligence feature that obtains an update here is notification summaries, and this is the corrective or the solution that the technology giant promised after the functionality caused some very public problems. You may remember that BBC News called on functionality to summarize a story on the killer accused of the CEO of United Healthcare Brian Thompson wrongly.
With iOS 18.3, notification summaries for “News and Entertainment” applications are deactivated by default, and you can activate or deactivate the functionality by application. Deactivating the functionality for the news shows that Apple has other adjustments under the hood and will probably revise this when it considers that the functionality is ready for prime hours.
All other applications with activated notification summaries will be presented in italics to let you know that they are generated via Apple Intelligence.
And if you have already executed iOS 18.1 or iOS 18.2, iOS 18.3 will automatically activate the Apple Intelligence on your device, assuming that it can execute it. You can always enter the settings to deactivate it, but this is the first time that it has been activated by default, and the same passage has occurred with MacOS Sequoia 15.3 and iPados 18.3.
As for most other Apple software updates, iOS 18.3 also includes bug corrections and security updates, it is therefore always advisable to keep your iPhone and other Apple updated devices.
