Big change to iPhones starts today

There has been a massive upgrade for all Apple iPhone users in Australia today and some of the features are mind-blowing.

Tech giant Apple has rolled out a major update today — and there are some mind-blowing new features on offer.

Apple Intelligence is now available for users in Australia and New Zealand with the release of iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2 and macOS Sequoia 15.2. The update will transform iPhones, iPads and Macs.

The artificial intelligence update means Aussie users can now remove distracting objects from images with Clean Up, explore creative new ways to express themselves visually with Image Playground, create emojis for any situation with Genmoji and make their writing even more dynamic with Writing Tools.

“Building on Apple Intelligence, users with an iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro can now instantly learn more about their surroundings with visual intelligence with Camera Control,” a spokeswoman for Apple said.

The changes come into effect today.

“And now with ChatGPT integrated into Writing Tools and Siri, users can tap into ChatGPT’s expertise without having to switch between apps, helping them get things done faster and easier than ever before.”

The move, first announced in June, marks Apple’s most significant push into generative artificial intelligence, as the company aims to compete with rivals Google and Samsung, who have already integrated similar AI features into their Android-operated devices.

Since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in 2022, Apple has been seeking to persuade doubters on its AI strategy, after Microsoft and Google rolled out products in rapid-fire succession.

Apple is initially rolling out the new AI functions to six English-speaking countries including the United States, Australia, Canada, and Britain.

The company plans to add support for 11 more languages throughout the year, starting with an April software update.

Here are some of the coolest features of the new AI update:

Turn your ideas into images

The Image Playground experience allows users to easily create fun and unique images, with concepts like themes, costumes, accessories and places. Users can add their own text descriptions, and can even create images in the likeness of a family member or friend using photos from their photo library. Image Playground generates images in distinct styles, including Animation — a modern, 3D-animated look — and Illustration, which offers images with simple shapes, clear lines and colourblocking.

The experience is integrated into Messages, making it easier than ever to create images for conversations.

Get instant info on anything you see

A new visual intelligence experience builds on Apple Intelligence and helps users learn about objects and places instantly.

Visual intelligence can summarise and copy text, translate text between languages, detect phone numbers or email addresses with the option to add to contacts and more.

Apple CEO Tim Cook. Picture: Nic Coury / AFP

Camera Control also allows users to search Google so they can see where they can buy an item, or benefit from ChatGPT’s problem-solving skills to ask for an explanation about a complex diagram, such as from class notes.

ChatGPT on iPhone

Apple is enabling ChatGPT access in Siri and Writing Tools experiences within iOS, iPadOS and macOS, allowing users to access its expertise — as well as its image- and document-understanding capabilities — without needing to jump between applications.

With the ChatGPT integration, Siri can suggest a user access ChatGPT for certain requests, and Siri can provide the response directly. With Compose, users can ask ChatGPT to generate content for anything they are writing about from the systemwide Writing Tools. They can also use ChatGPT’s image-generation capabilities to add images alongside their written content.

Create your own emojis

Apple has created a new tool called Genmoji.

By simply typing a description into the emoji keyboard, a Genmoji will appear, including multiple versions to choose from. With images from their photo library, users can take Genmoji even further by creating one that is inspired by a friend or family member. Personalised Genmoji can be customised with accessories, like a hat or sunglasses, and can reflect themes or activities to make them even more personal and unique. Just like emoji, Genmoji can be added inline to messages, or shared as a sticker or reaction in a Tapback.

Users can create their own unique emoji with Genmoji, making conversations with family and friends more fun and playful.

Look out for the new features.

Smart Script

Arguably one of the coolest new features is called Smart Script — which transforms your handwritten notes into fluid, flexible, and easy-to-read text, making note-taking smoother than ever.

There’s also something called Image Wand which means users can quickly create images in their note using the written or visual context already captured within the note.

Image Wand transforms a rough sketch into a polished image by simply circling it. Users can even circle empty space within a note, and Image Wand will gather context from the surrounding area — using on-device generative models to analyse the handwritten or typed text — to create a relevant image that complements the note and makes it more visual. Users can create images with the Animation, Illustration and an additional Sketch style in Image Wand.

With Image Wand, users can transform a rough sketch into a polished image by simply circling it.

Clean up photos

This new feature automatically detects and removes distracting background objects in photos — like someone who annoyingly photobombed your holiday snap — leaving the subject untouched.

There’s also been an upgrade to the Memories feature that now gives users the ability to create the movies they want to see by simply typing a description. Using language and image understanding, Apple Intelligence will pick out the best photos and videos based on a user’s description, craft a storyline with chapters based on themes identified from the photos, and arrange them into a movie with its own narrative arc.

Originally published as Big change to iPhones starts today