The second beta of iOS 18.2, distributed this evening to developers, contains several new features, here are the most interesting. A good part of these changes also concerns the second beta of macOS 15.2 and iPadOS 18.2.
Image iGeneration.
RCS is active at Free and Bouygues
RCS, the new version of messages managed by operators, is one of the new features of iOS 18. As mobile operators are involved, it took a little time at startup for the functionality to be activated in France. If SFR had been the first in France, it was also the only one until then. iOS 18.2, however, changes the situation, since the service will be activated for Bouygues Telecom and Free subscribers according to your feedback.
For example at Free, thank you Yohann for the captures.
RCS activation will be done after receiving an operator configuration update and normally it is immediate thereafter. Your recipient must also accept RCS for this to work.
ChatGPT Plus from Settings
This update adds a new brick in the Apple Intelligence ecosystem and it should give OpenAI great pleasure. iOS 18.2 enabled ChatGPT integration from Siri and Visual Intelligence, but until then it was completely free and without an option to pay if desired. In this first beta, Apple only displayed a button to connect with your OpenAI account, which allowed you to benefit from a possible subscription provided you had subscribed elsewhere.
With the new beta, you can subscribe directly from the iOS Settings. In the section dedicated to the integration of ChatGPT as part of Apple Intelligence, a button allows you to subscribe to a ChatGPT Plus subscription, OpenAI’s premium offer. The price is the same as on the sitenamely $20 per month.
Subscribing to ChatGPT Plus has never been easier. Picture iGeneration.
The subscription is not managed by Apple, so it is the OpenAI site that opens in a web view when you wish to subscribe. You will then need to create an account or log in and enter the information requested by the service to activate the subscription. In any case, we imagine that this strategically placed button was part of the negotiation between the two parties, because this will undoubtedly increase the number of subscribers to ChatGPT Plus.
This subscription also serves as a reminder that although the integration of ChatGPT into the heart of iOS is free, it is not unlimited. There is a daily limit to using the GPT-4o model which is selected by default, although Apple doesn’t give figures. In the Settings, there is now an indicator that indicates whether you are below the limit or not. Subscribing to ChatGPT Plus should in any case allow you to use this model more, OpenAI indicates five times more (without specifying whether it is 50 or 5,000 daily requests), while activating some additional benefits, such as the possibility of submitting better quality images.
Please note that if you exceed the daily limit, you will not lose access to ChatGPT, but you will switch to a less efficient model.
Dark icons in Settings
Small aesthetic novelty, still in the Settings app. If your iPhone or iPad is in dark mode, all icons will automatically follow in Settings. This is not only the case for app icons, such as on the home screen, it is also the case for all the other Apple icons which illustrate the different sections and sections.
All Settings icons adapt to the dark mode of iOS 18.2. Picture iGeneration.
During a search, Settings also reminds you that you can ask Siri for information on the use of the device. A new feature only available in English for the moment. By the way, the update does not correct this search, which always brings up so many useless results and never the one we are looking for.
The new Siri can help use the iPhoneโฆ only in English. Picture iGeneration.
iPhone 16 camera control gets new feature
Apple had promised it during the presentation of the new iPhone 16 and 16 Pro in September: the shutter button the camera control added on the right side should allow you to lock the focus, as you can do on a dedicated camera. If you’ve never tried it, the idea is to aim at a subject, press the shutter button halfway to lock the different focus and exposure settings and you can then move the camera while holding down your finger to maintain these settings. You can then take a photo while keeping the original settings, but having changed the angle.
If you are used to these very intuitive controls on a SLR, you will not really be comfortable with controlling the camera on the iPhone 16. After a few tries, I don’t find the same feeling at all, in largely because there is no halfway point. You must press the button enough to activate the lock, not too much to take the photo and above all avoiding modifying another setting by sliding. We’ll say that you’ll have to get the hang of it, but I found it very complicated to get what I wanted, even after several tries.
The new โAE/AF Lockโ option which is not active by default on the left, the function in action on the right. Picture iGeneration.
Please note that this feature, which further complicates camera control (did it really need it?) is not activated by default, you must do it in the Settings, โCameraโ section, then โCamera controlโ. the camera at the top. Oddly, you cannot activate the new function and deactivate the changing of settings by sliding in exchange, you always have to go through the accessibility settings for this.
Speaking of accessibility settings, iOS 18.2 beta 2 adds a new setting to adjust double-click speed. Three options are offered (slow, normal and fast) and you can test what this gives with an animation, such as adjusting the speed of double tapping, an option offered under iOS 18.1.
New sharing options for tracked objects in Find My
The Find My app is gaining new options designed to help you find a lost item, whether it’s an AirTag designed by Apple or a tracker compatible with the service. In the settings of the object in question, two new options are presented in a section dedicated to the loss of the object. The first activates the display of your personal data by anyone equipped with the app and who will scan the AirTag or object. In this way, you will be able to be contacted more easily by this person, even if this means that your data will also be easily accessible.
The two new options linked to an AirTag on the left, the one which activates the sharing of personal information on the right. Picture iGeneration.
The other option is more interesting: you can create a temporary sharing link so that a trusted third party can access the location of the AirTag or similar object and help you find it. This third party can be an acquaintance, but also an airline, suggests Apple. While waiting to know if we can convince the airlines, we can note that the sharing is done in the form of an iCloud link and that it is temporary, even if the duration is not specified.
Apple is also adding the ability to temporarily share the location of an AirTag. Picture iGeneration.
Other new features
Apple notes that iOS 18.2 beta 2 is supposed to improve the autonomy of devices and limit their heating. I noted that the previous beta ruined the battery life of my iPhone 16 Pro, which now required an intermediate charge to finish the day, so I hope that will be the case.
iPhone Mirroring, a new feature in macOS Sequoia which is not yet activated in the European Union (at least not without tinkering), now works even if tethering mode is active on the smartphone.
The Shortcuts app adds four options linked to the Fitness app, to open different sections of the app: settings, trophies or even exercise history.
