Apple Seeds First Public Betas of iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2 and macOS Sequoia 15.2 With New Apple Intelligence Features

Apple today seeded the first public betas of upcoming iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 updates, allowing the public to try out the new features ahead of when the software launches. The public betas come a couple days after Apple provided developers with the second betas.


Public beta testers can download the updates from the Settings app on each device after opting into the beta through Apple's public beta testing website.

iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.2 introduce the next Apple Intelligence features, including the first image generation capabilities.

The update adds Image Playground, a new app for creating images based on text descriptions. You can enter anything you want, though Apple will suggest costumes, locations, items, and more to add to an image. There are options to create characters that resemble your friends and family, and you can choose a photo for ‌Image Playground‌ to use as inspiration to create a related image. Elements added to ‌Image Playground‌ creations are previewed, and there is a preview history so you can undo a change and go back to a prior version.

While ‌Image Playground‌ is a standalone app, it is also integrated into Messages, Notes, Freeform, and more. ‌Image Playground‌ does not make photorealistic images and is instead limited to animation or illustration styles.

The update also adds Genmoji, which are customizable emoji characters that you can create based on descriptions and phrases. Like ‌Image Playground‌ creations, you can base them on your friends and family, with the data pulled from the People album in Photos. You can also make characters using basic elements, and you'll get multiple ‌Genmoji‌ suggestions to choose from. You can create ‌Genmoji‌ using the emoji keyboard.

‌Genmoji‌ are limited to iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 right now, and will be coming to ‌macOS Sequoia‌ later.

Siri in iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.2 has ChatGPT integration. If ‌Siri‌ is unable to provide an answer to a question, ‌Siri‌ will hand the request over to ChatGPT, though ‌Siri‌ will need user permission first. ChatGPT will answer the question and relay the information back through ‌Siri‌.

ChatGPT can be used to create content from scratch, including text and images. No account is required to use ChatGPT integration, and Apple and OpenAI do not store requests.

If you have an iPhone 16, there's a Visual Intelligence feature in iOS 18.2 that provides information about what's around you. Open up the camera and point it at a restaurant to get reviews, or point it at an item to search Google for it.

Some other ‌Visual Intelligence‌ capabilities include reading text out loud, detecting phone numbers and addresses to add them to Contacts, copying text, and summarizing text.

Apple added Writing Tools in iOS 18.1, but in iOS 18.2, you can more freely describe the tone or content change that you want to make, such as adding more action words, or turning an email into a poem.

‌Apple Intelligence‌ now supports localized English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, and the UK in addition to U.S. English.

Wait List

If you've already been testing ‌Apple Intelligence‌ and are opted in, you will have access to Writing Tools, ChatGPT integration, and ‌Visual Intelligence‌ automatically.

There is a secondary waiting list for early access to use ‌Genmoji‌, ‌Image Playground‌, and Image Wand. You can sign up to get access in ‌Image Playground‌ or in the areas where you access ‌Genmoji‌ or ‌Image Wand‌.

When you request access, you are added to a wait list for all three capabilities and you'll get a notification when the features are available for you to use. Apple will roll out access over time.

Availability and Compatibility

The public betas are available on all devices, but the ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features require a device capable of ‌Apple Intelligence‌.

Apple is still working on refining the new ‌Apple Intelligence‌ tools, and the company warns that ‌Genmoji‌, ‌Image Wand‌, and ‌Image Playground‌ can sometimes give you results you weren't expecting. Apple is collecting feedback on these experiences and will refine them over time.

Release Date

Apple is expected to release the iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.2, watchOS 11.2, tvOS 18.2, and visionOS 2.2 updates in early December.

Related Roundups: iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia
Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
top stories 2025 04 19

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, CarPlay Bug Fix, and More

Saturday April 19, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
This week saw rumor updates on the iPhone 17 Pro and next-generation Vision Pro, while a minor iOS 18.4.1 update delivered not just security fixes but also a fix for some CarPlay issues. We also looked ahead at what else is in Apple's pipeline for the rest of 2025 and even the 20th-anniversary iPhone coming in 2027, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more! iPhone 17 ...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday April 15, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update. Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key...

Top Rated Comments

Realityck Avatar
24 weeks ago
Should be these builds
iOS 18.2 beta 2 (22C5125e) - November 4, 2024
iPadOS 18.2 beta 2 (22C5125e) - November 4, 2024
macOS 15.2 beta 2 (24C5073e) - November 4, 2024
tvOS 18.2 beta (22K5132e) - November 4, 2024
visionOS 2.2 beta (22N5778f) - November 4, 2024
watchOS 11.2 beta (22S5077d) - November 4, 2024

No OTA installation issues with all the devices I use (iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/MacOS)
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tywebb13 Avatar
24 weeks ago

Should be these builds
iOS 18.2 beta 2 (22C5125e) - November 4, 2024
iPadOS 18.2 beta 2 (22C5125e) - November 4, 2024
macOS 15.2 beta 2 (24C5073e) - November 4, 2024
tvOS 18.2 beta (22K5132e) - November 4, 2024
visionOS 2.2 beta (22N5778f) - November 4, 2024
watchOS 11.2 beta (22S5077d) - November 4, 2024

No OTA installation issues with all the devices I use (iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/MacOS)
can confirm for macOS 15.2 beta 2

developer/public beta full installers are available now same build but links to the InstallAssistant.pkg are different

run these in terminal

for file in $(curl -# https://swscan.apple.com/content/catalogs/others/index-15seed-1.sucatalog | grep com_apple_MobileAsset_MacSoftwareUpdate.plist | grep -Evw '(com_apple_MobileAsset_MacSoftwareUpdate.plist.integrityDataV1|InstallInfo.plist)' | sed -e s/"<string>"//g -e s/"<\/string>"//g -e s/\ //g); do
curl -# $file | egrep -EA 1 '(>Build<|OSVersion)' | sed -e s/"<string>"//g -e s/"<\/string>"//g -e s/\ //g | sed -e s/"<key>"//g -e s/"<\/key>"//g -e s/\ //g
echo $file | sed -e "s/com_apple_MobileAsset_MacSoftwareUpdate.plist/InstallAssistant.pkg/g"
done

for file in $(curl -# https://swscan.apple.com/content/catalogs/others/index-15beta-1.sucatalog | grep com_apple_MobileAsset_MacSoftwareUpdate.plist | grep -Evw '(com_apple_MobileAsset_MacSoftwareUpdate.plist.integrityDataV1|InstallInfo.plist)' | sed -e s/"<string>"//g -e s/"<\/string>"//g -e s/\ //g); do
curl -# $file | egrep -EA 1 '(>Build<|OSVersion)' | sed -e s/"<string>"//g -e s/"<\/string>"//g -e s/\ //g | sed -e s/"<key>"//g -e s/"<\/key>"//g -e s/\ //g
echo $file | sed -e "s/com_apple_MobileAsset_MacSoftwareUpdate.plist/InstallAssistant.pkg/g"
done

and you get these results respectively

Build
24C5073e
--
OSVersion
15.2
https://swcdn.apple.com/content/downloads/13/38/072-11038-A_8VILF7KGLR/ekuwqfer80bkta2a6l6hn9flavknip4edt/InstallAssistant.pkg

Build
24C5073e
--
OSVersion
15.2
https://swcdn.apple.com/content/downloads/10/34/072-11038-A_TGR6W7K3M5/4spyivl2qgnl5f93tuxe6hidk9y21677rf/InstallAssistant.pkg

so there may actually be some differences despite being same build

in the past links to InstallAssistant.pkg were the same

so why different now? maybe application of ai different?

maybe separate waitlists?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OferJ Avatar
24 weeks ago

why do we need these terrible image generators built in...
No one is forcing you to use them
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
24 weeks ago

I think apples systems must be broken… not seen an update think it’ll take 5 hours before
If that is a download still (not prep or installing), just cancel it and restart you iPhone and retry downloading again.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
centauratlas Avatar
24 weeks ago

Will this fix my 16 pro max batt3ry woes?
I was having good battery life on the 16 PM 18.1 betas, but the 18.2 dev beta 1 had much worse. The dev beta 2 which this is seems to be much better than the beta 1 - if this applies to you. Figured I'd at least give my experience. :-)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sdf Avatar
24 weeks ago

Am I right in thinking that other versions of English and not just US English work with Apple Intelligence in this Beta?
Yes, as long as your Siri region isn't set to US English instead of your iPhone's region. That was a work around earlier, but it now stops it from working. (This doesn't mean I've tested all English locales, just Canadian.)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)