These new features are included in iOS 18.3 and macOS 15.3
Apple published the release candidate versions of iOS 18.3, macOS 15.3 and co. this week. A look at the package insert reveals what has changed.
iOS 18 overview: This year, the point releases are also packed with new functions.
(Image: Apple)
Apple is about to release iOS 18.3 including iPadOS 18.3, macOS 15.3 as well as the new versions of watchOS (11.3), tvOS (18.3) and the HomePod firmware. The release candidate (RC) versions were distributed to developers this week. The package inserts were also included so that you can see what new features Apple is planning. Due to the slow rollout of Apple Intelligence, there are several fresh features – unusual for an already stable operating system.
Important little things
As usual, Apple's AI system can only be used if the system is set to English. In Europe, an App Store ID is also required that comes from the market in which Apple Intelligence is already approved, such as the USA. A German version of Apple Intelligence is not expected until iOS 18.4 and macOS 15.3 in April. The initial range of functions is still unknown, and Apple's ongoing dispute with the EU Commission over the App Store and its business model could also have an impact on this.
Videos by heise
According to the release notes, iOS and iPadOS 18.3 come with improved AI notification summaries. These can now be managed from the lock screen and turned off if necessary. AI overviews are now immediately recognizable by italicized text – Apple had to deal with incorrect information and other problems here without users noticing this as an AI error at first glance. News and entertainment apps (“News & Entertainment”) are temporarily disabled for AI Summaries while Apple works on getting its language model to stop hallucinating (if at all possible). If the notification overviews are generally active, they will be reactivated for this app category in due course. Visual Intelligence on the iPhone 16 (all models) can now recognize plants and animals as well as dates from posters and flyers, which can be transferred directly to the calendar.
Calculator gets old function back
Bug fixes in iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3 concern Siri (keyboard disappeared after a type-to-Siri request), Apple Music (audio playback did not stop even after closing the app) and Calculator (old function to repeatedly apply a mathematical function by pressing the equals sign restored). Finally, Apple has also decided to automatically turn on Apple Intelligence on supported devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac) in the future.
macOS 15.3 brings the Genmoji function to the Mac for the first time, which was previously only available on mobile devices. The AI overviews for notifications can now also be managed from the lock screen and are also easier to recognize (because they are in italics). Messaging and entertainment apps are also temporarily locked for this purpose. The calculator has been given the repeat function that is available in iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Various security patches can also be expected, although Apple has not yet provided any information on these. iOS 18.3, macOS 15.3 and co. could be released at the beginning of next week.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmung wird hier ein externer Preisvergleich (heise Preisvergleich) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (heise Preisvergleich) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
(bsc)
