Apple has rolled out the first public beta for iOS 18.2 and macOS 15.2. The beta was released over two weeks ago in developer form and now public users can test out some of the new features ahead of the mainstream release in December. iOS 18.2 and macOS 15.2 are a big deal for South Africans as they bring with them Apple Intelligence support for English ZA. This means you don’t need to change your language and region on your device to enable Apple Intelligence.
In addition to that, iOS 18.2 also adds the Image Playground features to the iPhone. The app is Apple’s generative AI image creator where users can make images using words and even choose photos as inspiration for the image. There’s also Genmoji which lets you create custom emojis. Keep in mind that Image Playground and Genmoji are only available after joining the waiting list and being approved by Apple. But the wait times are quite quick.
In terms of ChatGPT, that is also now available on the new public betas. Users can now link their ChatGPT accounts to Siri and engage with the assistant with help from ChatGPT. You can, however, use this feature without an account.
The latest software updates are, of course only available on supported devices. For iPhone users, you’ll need an iPhone 15 Pro and up. For Mac users, as long as your Mac device includes an M chip (even an M1), you’ll be able to use these Apple Intelligence features. The only “exclusive” tool is the Visual Intelligence feature that lets you search for images using the iPhone 16 Camera Button. Even then, there are loads of other apps that do the same thing.
If you’re still not on board with Apple Intelligence, iStore has announced free training days at all iStore branches nationwide. They take place daily at 13:00 and 16:00 and you just need to walk into the store. During the session, you’ll then get a rundown on the new features and how they integrate into your Apple ecosystem.