Updated December 9th with more details on the exact release date.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman previously said that this year’s iOS update was huge. “I’m told that the new operating system is considered within the company to be one of the biggest iOS updates – if not the biggest – in the company’s history,” he reported. And now there are more reports about when exactly we should expect this release, with more and more publications insisting that the release will happen on Monday, December 9th. Spoiler: I think this is wrong.

Don’t worry, the wait won’t be long, but you still have to be patient. London newspaper The Standard initially insisted it would be December 9th, but differed with a revised headline and a suggestion that it could be “as early as today.” And respected tech site T3 claims that a notice from the EE network gave the game away and that December 9th is the date. You can read more about the EE puzzle below.

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T3 calls it the “biggest free update to date” for the iPhone and points out that it could be even more exciting for iPhone owners in the UK, Australia and beyond “as Apple Intelligence will finally be available in other English variants.” Until now, Brits have had to set their devices to recognize US English in order to use the new AI tools,” it says.

It is also noted that, although the update is extensive, it is not for everyone. Apple Intelligence only works on six iPhones: iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. It also works on newer iPads and Macs. In other words, even if you own the iPhone 15 and it doesn’t have “Pro” at the end of the name, you won’t benefit from Apple Intelligence.

I’m told that Apple Intelligence works faster on the iPhone 16 series than on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. And of course there’s the Visual Intelligence feature that uses Apple Intelligence, which is exclusive to the iPhone 16 series, as it requires the new camera controls to work.

There is no doubt that this update is highly anticipated, not least because it includes the launch of the second tranche of Apple Intelligence and introduces access to ChatGPT – the first time in years that Apple has allowed an outside company to do something to do something integral to iPhone operation. Gurman’s prediction seems justified.

Another indicator of its importance is the extensive coverage of it in the mainstream media, with publications predicting the software’s release date. The Daily Mail, for example, noted that EE had informed users that a service was about to change. “EE told its customers: ‘We wanted to inform you that from December 9th you will no longer be able to use your EE shared number service on MacBooks and iPads,’ it said.

Does this mean the British broadcaster accidentally revealed the release date, the newspaper asked.

I’m not convinced. While it’s the case that some carrier updates are timed to coincide with Apple’s, it’s just as possible that the EE change needs to happen before iOS 18.2. Does this change the release date I predict? See below.

Gurman also said we should expect the release “during the week of December 2nd, barring any unexpected delays.” That date has clearly passed and I never fully believed it – but I also don’t think there were any delays.

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In fact, Apple just shipped the iOS 18.2 release candidate, meaning the general release is just a few days away. And there’s a lot in there.

What is included in the update?

Since iOS 18.2 is the release that brings the biggest update yet to Apple’s most important intelligence feature, it’s clearly a highly anticipated update.

For some people in countries outside the US who speak English, this is the mother lode of Apple Intelligence. Here’s why: Users in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom will see Apple Intelligence for the first time, and that means everything iPhone users in the US saw with iOS 18.1, plus everything new.

Visual intelligence

iPhone 16 phone users will see Visual Intelligence. iPhone 16’s camera controls let you point the iPhone camera at something nearby, such as an art gallery, to view opening hours. You can also entrust ChatGPT with information.

More Apple Intelligence

New for everyone in iOS 18.2 is Image Playground, a new app that creates images based on your prompts. Images can emerge that are reminiscent of friends or family. There’s also Image Wand, which does similar image tricks in the Notes app, and Genmoji, the custom emoji characters that also rely on your prompts. For example, they can be based on the people album in Photos. Note that these features may require a waiting list before you can try them out.

The writing tools introduced in iOS 18.1 are being improved to allow for more edits and control what sound or content changes you want to see.

There are other changes, such as the introduction of the hearing test for AirPods Pro 2 in more countries. Mail will get a big upgrade, Voice Memos will let you add layers to recordings on some iPhone models, and there will be Sudoku for News+ subscribers.

iOS 18.2 release date

So, since Gurman didn’t get it right, when is iOS 18.2 coming?

Although it could be later, I believe it will be in the coming days. Apple likes a release on Monday or Tuesday. This is a very big release, so I think Monday December 9th may be too early. Tuesday December 10th or Wednesday December 11th seem to be the hot favorites for me. Wednesday is my best guess. And despite the EE information mentioned above, I still think it will be one of these two, most likely December 11th.

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