Apple advertised heavily Apple Intelligence since the company announced its Own artificial intelligence system launched back in June, but it was barely a useful feature on the iPhone…until now.

On Wednesday, Apple began rolling out iOS 18.2, which brings some of the most anticipated AI features to iOS 18, including ChatGPT integration for Siri and Writing Tools, the ability to create your own emojis Genmojiand the Picture playground App for creating images from text prompts.

If you are a iPhone 16 Owners get Visual Intelligence, the visual search tool that helps you get information about anything you point your camera at, like text, food, locations, and more. Think Google Lens, but for Apple.

As long as you have a compatible Apple Intelligence device, you can download iOS 18.2 today and take advantage of all the latest AI features. Here you will find everything you need to know.

To learn more, check out what’s new in iOS 18.2 and learn how to prepare your iPhone before downloading iOS 18.2.

Which iPhone models support Apple Intelligence?

Every iPhone model after the iPhone XS and iPhone 11 can run iOS 18, only some of the latest models support Apple Intelligence. This is every iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence:

As mentioned above, only iPhone 16 users will get Visual Intelligence, the AI-powered visual search feature.

Apple Intelligence also works on iPad and Mac models with the M1 chip and later.

Now do these six things before installing iOS 18.2

You don’t necessarily have to do all of these things to download iOS 18.2 on your iPhone, but it will definitely make the download experience much easier:

• Back up your iPhone. You never know what can go wrong with an update, so it’s good to have a backup. Go to on your iPhone Settings > (your name) > iCloud > iCloud backup and tap Secure now.
• Update to iOS 18.1.1. This makes the update smoother than switching from iOS 18 to iOS 18.2.
• Charge your iPhone or connect it to power. You don’t want your battery to die when you download a new software update. Therefore, make sure the battery is at least over 20% charged or simply plug it in during the update.
• Connect your iPhone to a good WiFi network. You can download iOS 18.2 over mobile data, but it is slow and may fail if your service is poor.
• Check if your iPhone has enough storage space. Every iOS software update requires sufficient storage space to be downloaded and installed successfully. If you’re running out of space, go to Settings > Generally > iPhone storage and delete large files and apps. You can also download iOS 18.2 from your computer without having to free up storage space on your phone.
• If you haven’t already, join the Apple Intelligence waiting list. Go to Settings > Apple Intelligence and Siri and tap Join the Apple Intelligence waitlist. It should take a few hours to receive approval. You must also join the waitlist to use Genmoji and Image Playground.

To try out Apple’s new AI, you must have an eligible device and running the latest iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 or macOS 15.1. (On the iPhone side, that’s basically the current iPhone 16 models, as well as last year’s iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.) You’ll also need to waitlist in the Settings app, but Apple Support says that usually only takes a few hours to get access. Once approved, you will receive a notification that activation is possible on your device.

You should also check out these simple tricks to optimize your iPhone storage.

How to download iOS 18.2 on your iPhone

Now that you’re ready, it’s time to download iOS 18.2. If you’re using iOS 18 or iOS 18.1, updating should be incredibly easy. All you have to do is leave Settings > Generally > Software update and click Update Now. Enter your passcode, agree to the terms and conditions to request the update, and wait for iOS 18 to download and install. Once your phone restarts and boots up, you should be running iOS 18.2.

When will iOS 18.2 be released?

It’s out! Apple started rolling out the iOS 18.2 update today, December 11th. Additional Apple Intelligence features will be available in the coming months, the company said.

Here’s a look at what to expect from the iPhone in 2025.