Skip to main content

iOS 18.2 public beta 3 now available, here’s what’s new

Just a few hours after releasing the latest iOS 18.2 beta for developers, a new public beta is here. iOS 18.2 public beta 3 arrives as one of the last releases before next month’s full launch. Here’s what’s new.

New changes in public beta 3 ahead of the RC update

Today’s new public beta is the same software build as the developer beta 4 released earlier this afternoon.

This latest build has little to offer in terms of new features or big changes. Just a few small new updates have been discovered:

  • the Photos app’s video scrubber now shows milliseconds
  • Camera Control’s accessibility settings have been added to the standard Camera Control settings hub, centralizing more options in one place
  • added in the last beta but just discovered: you can now set a default Contactless App to replace Wallet inside Settings ⇾ Apps
  • small design tweaks to Apple Mail

Overall, beta 3 is focused on performance improvements and bug fixes. Which makes sense, because we’re getting very close to Apple shipping the RC (release candidate) version of iOS 18.2.

Apple has recently released weekly iOS 18.2 betas, but the company will likely take next week off due to the Thanksgiving holiday, meaning our next chance for a beta will be the week of December 2.

Most likely, that’s when we’ll get the RC update ahead of a public launch the week of December 9.

Highlights of iOS 18.2

Genmoji Apple Intelligence

iOS 18.2 is a huge release for users, largely due to the highly anticipated new Apple Intelligence features. These include:

  • Genmoji: Make your own custom emoji for use in any app.
  • ChatGPT in Siri: Siri can tap into ChatGPT’s knowledge, and you can even query ChatGPT directly.
  • Image Playground: Create original AI images in animation, illustration, or sketch styles.
  • Visual intelligence: Use iPhone 16’s Camera Control to get relevant info from your physical environment.
  • and more

But there are also great additions outside of AI, such as a redesigned Mail app, new Find My features, Camera Control upgrades, and even more.

If you haven’t yet joined the public beta program, you can do so now via beta.apple.com to install the pre-release software today.

What are your favorite or most anticipated iOS 18.2 features? Let us know in the comments.

Best iPhone accessories

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

Author

Avatar for Ryan Christoffel Ryan Christoffel

Ryan got his start in journalism as an Editor at MacStories, where he worked for four years covering Apple news, writing app reviews, and more. For two years he co-hosted the Adapt podcast on Relay FM, which focused entirely on the iPad. As a result, it should come as no surprise that his favorite Apple device is the iPad Pro.

Manage push notifications

notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications
notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications