Apple to release Generative AI Image features with iOS 18.2

Apple will put some AI features on hold to release with the iOS 18.2 software update rolling later this year.

On Monday, Apple will release the latest iPhones with iOS 18.0 out of the box. Alongside this, iOS 18 will also be released for all eligible devices.

However, the company won’t roll out new Apple Intelligence features. Instead, it will release an incremental iOS 18.1 update with new AI capabilities. That includes AI writing tools, intelligent notification manager, app transcripts, image object remover, content summarization, and more.

However, iOS 18.1 may still not bring new Siri with ChatGPT integration, which was announced during WWDC24. That’s not it, Apple planned to delay generative image capabilities.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gruman said Genmoji and Image Playground app will be pushed with iOS 18.2, not iOS 18.1. That suggests, the Cupertino California-based tech maker is taking more time to launch these features for eligible devices.

Talking about these two, the Image Playground app allows you to create an image based on a description, suggested concepts, and an image based on the Photos library.

You can try different concepts and image styles including animations, illustrations, and sketches in the Playground app. Once created, you can share them with your friends and family for extra creative fun.

Genmoji is also a brand new option right inside the keyboard. It helps you create an emoji to match the ongoing conversation in an instant based on a description.

Similar to Image Playground, Genmoji also supports a Photo library, which means you can pick a person from a photograph to create a Genmoji.

These late rollout and development shows Apple would have to rely on new iPhone features and hardware. We’ll see more details at the iPhone 16 launch event on September 9.