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iOS 18.2 transforms notes with enhanced AI features and new battery intelligence
Apple is enhancing iOS 18’s capabilities with iOS 18.2, adding powerful Apple Intelligence upgrades across various apps. The Notes app is a big beneficiary, gaining three major AI-driven features, and Apple is also introducing a Battery Intelligence feature, which may soon show users how long it will take to charge their iPhones. Here’s a breakdown of these upcoming upgrades and how they’ll improve user experience.
Enhanced Image Generation with Image Wand
One standout feature in iPadOS 18.2 is “Image Wand,” an AI-powered tool in Notes designed for users who enjoy visual notes or art. This feature has two key abilities:
- Improving Sketches: Users can transform their quick doodles or sketches into high-quality illustrations. Whether created with an Apple Pencil or finger, Image Wand can polish and enhance these drawings into refined artwork.
- Auto-Created Images Based on Context: Image Wand can also generate images that align with the note’s context. By analyzing the surrounding text, it produces relevant visuals, even if no initial sketch is provided. This feature allows users to create images that blend seamlessly with their written content.
For those who enjoy sketching or simply want to enhance their notes visually, the Image Wand provides a compelling reason to consider an Apple Pencil Pro, currently available at discounted prices.
Advanced AI Writing Capabilities
iOS 18.2 brings expanded AI writing functions that build on iOS 18.1’s initial capabilities. These two main additions give users more flexibility in creating and customizing their notes:
- Compose Tool for New Content: A new “Compose” button in the Notes toolbar leverages ChatGPT to generate original content based on user prompts. This lets users quickly add meaningful text to notes, without leaving the app for external AI tools.
- Refined Rewrites: In iOS 18.2, users can give specific instructions for text rewrites, enhancing the previous version’s options. For example, in iOS 18.1, users could only choose general styles like “Professional” or “Friendly.” Now, with the “Describe your change” option, users can add custom instructions, making Apple Intelligence a more effective assistant for tailoring content to specific needs.
Text-to-Image Creation Made Easy
In addition to the Image Wand, iOS 18.2 also introduces a simpler way to create images from text. By selecting any text in the Notes app, users can choose “Create image” from the copy/paste menu. This option generates an original image based on the selected text, which can be resized and customized further. If the initial output isn’t quite right, Apple’s system can continue generating images until the user finds one that suits them.
Battery Intelligence: Estimating Charging Time
Beyond Notes, iOS 18.2 introduces a feature under development called “BatteryIntelligence,” which calculates an estimated time to recharge the phone. Discovered in iOS 18.2’s beta code, this feature could help users understand how long it will take to reach a full or specific level of charge, such as 80%. While currently disabled in beta testing, the feature resembles the estimated charging time for MacBook batteries in macOS, offering users added convenience and battery insights.
iOS 18.2: Additional Highlights and Release
iOS 18.2 expands on iOS 18’s foundation, offering improvements to Apple Intelligence, including features like Genmoji, Image Playgrounds, and enhanced ChatGPT integration. iPhone 16 users can also benefit from Visual Intelligence. Expected for a December release, iOS 18.2’s array of new tools promises significant updates for Apple users, pushing AI capabilities further into everyday use.
With iOS 18.2, Apple continues to advance its AI-driven offerings, making devices more intuitive and efficient for daily tasks. Whether it’s sketching, writing, or battery management, Apple’s latest software enhancements provide new ways to interact with and personalize your devices.