Image: Digital Trends.
Just before the holidays, speculations circulated about a possible surprise iPhone upgrade, iOS 18.2.1, to address difficulties raised by the recent enormous release of iOS 18.2, which introduced Apple Intelligence to millions of users worldwide in early December. Now it appears the surprise has been verified, with additional rumors speculating on what would be included in the release. Meanwhile, development is already starting on iOS 18.3, which may contain more exciting news than 18.2.1.
The extra dot in the release number indicates that 18.2.1. will be a smaller entity, most likely lacking brand-new features. These will be available with iOS 18.3 and, more specifically, iOS 18.4, assuming current predictions are correct. The release dates for these, as stated below, are currently expected to be January or February for the first and March for the second, although these may change.
The new features expected in these updates include what is thought to be Siri’s most significant upgrade to date—though the virtual assistant has already gotten notably wiser and more conversational in the first releases of Apple Intelligence.
The expectations for iOS 18.3 are not high just yet. The first beta versions, which are already in play, include features like robot vacuum control, but nothing spectacular. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, some iOS 18.4 Siri improvements may be carried over to iOS 18.3, but the betas do not currently reflect this.
These advancements include tailored and contextual responses in Siri, as well as onscreen awareness.
Support for Apple Intelligence in additional languages is also promised in iOS 18.3 or 18.4.
Latest Speculations
Before then, there’s iOS 18.2.1, and this is what the most recent report says. “iOS 18.2.1 will be a minor update for the iPhone, therefore there will be no new front-facing features. This means that the future update will solely include bug fixes and performance improvements for the iPhone, which will address the underlying issues. The upgrade will also fix security vulnerabilities, however, it is unclear which exact concerns will be resolved.
Some users have reported troubles with new Apple Intelligence tools such as Image Playground and Genmoji, which encourage apps to develop new emoji based on their favorite people in the Photos app. Some claim that persons in your albums aren’t found, even when you use the same name you stored for them. This could be one of the areas that iOS 18.2.1 focuses on.
That contrasts with the next major upgrade, iOS 18.3, which is now in developer and public beta and is slated to be released sometime in the new year, most likely in January or February 2025.
The new information contains the software update’s build number, 22C161, as specified in the account. Of course, those six characters provide no hints as to what is in the release, but if they are correct, they do indicate that it is absolutely on its way.
So far, the iOS 18 cycle, which has been jam-packed with new features such as, but not limited to, Apple Intelligence, has followed a typical cadence: a large release followed quickly—often unexpectedly quickly—by a smaller number to address concerns.
The quickness with which the update is sent is also the source of the surprise. Although it may appear that it has been a long time since iOS 18.2 was released, this could be an illusion induced by the mad rush for the holidays. The software was only released just over two weeks ago, on Wednesday, December 11.
Reference: iOS 18.2.1 Release Date: New Apple iPhone Update Confirmed
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