If you own a new iPhone then you’d be wise to head to the settings and download the very latest update from Apple. The US technology giant has just confirmed the release of iOS 18.3 which brings some smart new features and vital security fixes to your smartphone.
Perhaps the biggest news about this release is that it now switches on the clever Apple Intelligence upgrade by default for those who have compatible iPhones. Until now, this latest feature – which launched in the UK at the end of 2024 – had to be enabled manually but that’s no longer the case. For those not in the know, Apple Intelligence includes features such as improved Siri, full Chat GPT integration, smarter ways to email and message plus the ability to create unique emojis called Gemojis.
Now there’s more good news about Apple Intelligence. Thanks to the release of iOS 18.3, users are now able to access something called “Visual Intelligence”.
This very clever update lets you point the camera at objects, places and even restaurants with a full description then appearing on the screen. You can even show the iPhone a concert ticket, poster or next plane journey and it will automatically put in your diary for you.
Explaining more, Apple said: “You can use visual intelligence to identify animals and plants. You can use visual intelligence to get details about a business in front of you, such as hours of operation, available services, and contact information. You can use visual intelligence to create an event in the Calendar app when you see an event on a poster or flyer.”
iOS 18.3 isn’t just about Apple Intelligence and smarter features. It’s also a vital install as it mends some security issues and phone-busting bugs.
“iOS 18.3. This update brings improvements to visual intelligence along with other enhancements, bug fixes and security updates for your iPhone,” Apple explained in its download notes.
For that reason, we wouldn’t delay in installing it but be aware. This is a massive 1.14GB file, so you are advised to only download it when you are connected to Wi-Fi and not when using a 4G or 5G connection. To install iOS18.3 simply head to Settings > General > Software Update and you should see the option to Download and Install.
It’s worth remembering that Apple Intelligence is only compatible with iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models.
