Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 updates to developers, and Apple is continuing to refine the Apple Intelligence capabilities. There are also a handful of smaller features that are worth knowing about.
Find My
Find My has a new option to Share Item Location with an "airline or trusted person" that can help you locate something that you've misplaced. Choosing the Share Item Location option creates a link that lets someone view the location of a lost item when they open the link.
The link can be opened on a non-Apple device, so an iPhone or Mac is not required to provide someone with your item's location. Links expire after a week or when you're reunited with your lost item.
There's also an option to Show Contact Info, which lets any phone or tablet connect to an item to view a website with more information about it, including the phone number and email address of the owner.
Siri ChatGPT Limit
The ChatGPT section of Apple Intelligence for Siri now shows the ChatGPT limits that are in place for free users, while also offering an option to upgrade to the paid ChatGPT Plus plan. With ChatGPT integration, users have free access to ChatGPT, but only a small number of requests that use the latest ChatGPT-4o engine and a small number of DALL-E 3 images that can be created.
After that, access reverts to a more basic version of ChatGPT that's less expensive for OpenAI to run. Unfettered access requires ChatGPT Plus, priced at $19.99 per month.
Battery Life and Device Temperature
In the iOS 18.2 beta 2 release notes, Apple says that it has improved battery life and device temperature.
Settings App Icons
In Dark Mode, the icons in the Settings app have a new, darker look that shows color on a black background rather than icons that are a solid color with white accents.
Camera Control
For iPhone 16 users, there's now an option lock your auto exposure and auto focus settings with a light press. The AE/AF Lock toggle can be turned on by going to Settings > Camera > Camera Control.
There is also an option to adjust the double click speed of Camera Control. Options include Default, Slow, and Slower. The adjustment options join prior options to tweak the double light press speed and the light press force.
Adjusting Camera Control can be done by opening Settings and going to Accessibility > Camera Button.
iPhone Mirroring With Hotspot
iOS 18.2 allows you to use iPhone Mirroring while your iPhone's hotspot connection is being shared with your Mac. Having your Mac connected through Personal Hotspot previously did not allow you to use iPhone Mirroring.
Fitness Shortcut Actions
There are new Fitness app Shortcut actions that you can use when creating a Shortcut, including Open Fitness Settings, Open Award, Open Session History, and Open Trophy Case.
Safari Downloads
The progress of Safari downloads can now be tracked on the iPhone's Lock Screen and Dynamic Island.
Vehicle Motion Cues
There's an option see Vehicle Motion Cues in the Dynamic Island when the feature is activated. Vehicle Motion Cues are designed to cut down on motion sickness while riding in a vehicle.
Mac Connection
When connecting to a Mac, you can use Face ID to trust a device.
Apple Music
Apple Music now displays the disc number in some albums.
Web Restrictions in Utah
Utah residents under the age of 17 will be opted in to web content restrictions that block adult content in iOS 18.2. This is required by Utah law.
EU Default Browser Changes
In the European Union, iPadOS 18.2 requires selecting a Default Browser when opening Safari. This is a Digital Markets Act requirement, with Apple adding an updated interface that will let users select a default web browser of their choice from a list of options.
Apple has already implemented this change in iOS 18.
More Features
Know of a new feature in iOS 18.2 beta 2 that we left out? Let us know in the comments below.
