iOS 18.3 is here with a major change to how you enable Apple Intelligence

(Image credit: Future)

iOS 18.3 is out now for all users, alongside a few other Apple software updates.
For the first time, this update enables Apple Intelligence by default.
This update rolls out a fix for Notification Summaries and improvements to Visual Intelligence.

After a few weeks of developer and public betas, Apple finally released iOS 18.3 to the public today – meaning that if you have an iPhone capable of running the software, you can install it as an over-the-air update right now.

It also delivers two significant improvements to Apple Intelligence and turns on the suite of features by default. Still, in the world of Apple Software Updates, iOS 18.3 stands as a smaller one that does more work under the hood rather than providing flashy new features.

Apple also released several updates for its other devices: iPadOS 18.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3, and watchOS 11.3. Updates for the Apple Vision Pro, the HomePod and HomePod mini, and the Apple TV 4K also dropped, so now is a good time to check for updates.

The big change, though, with Apple's most recent software updates is that Apple Intelligence is being enabled by default. So, if you don't want the ChatGPT integration for Siri, Image Playground, custom emojis, writing tools, or notification summaries, in that case, you'll need to navigate to Settings and turn off the suite of features.

Camera Control with Visual Intelligence — (Image credit: Future)

Leading the feature pack with iOS 18.3 are new tricks for Visual Intelligence. Initially teased in September 2024 when Apple first unveiled the iPhone 16 lineup, the Camera Control could do a bit more beyond taking photos, including letting you take a picture of anything and either search for it on Google or ask ChatGPT for help.

Now, with iOS 18.3, Visual Intelligence can help you identify a pet – it worked well with my mini Bernedoodle, Rosie – and different types of plants. Further, if you scan a poster or something with a date on it, you can export that right to your calendar to create a new event.

It certainly makes Visual Intelligence more useful. Considering it’s similar to Google Lens and other apps, including ChatGPT’s iOS app, which has become more multi-modal, Apple is certainly looking to improve the experience continuously. It’s also building out Apple Intelligence features; remember, these are all still in beta.

The other Apple Intelligence feature that’s getting an update here is Notification Summaries, and this is the fix or solution that the tech giant promised after the feature caused a few very public issues. You might recall that BBC News called out the feature for summarizing a story about the accused killer of United HealthCare CEO Brian Thompson quite incorrectly.

iOS 18.3 Notification summaries on iPhone 16 Pro Max — (Image credit: Future / Apple)

With iOS 18.3, Notification Summaries for ‘News and Entertainment’ apps are off by default, and you can turn the functionality on or off per app. Turning the feature off for news entirely shows that Apple is making some more tweaks under the hood and will likely reenable this when it feels the feature is ready for prime time.

All other apps with notification summaries turned on will be presented in italics to let you know they are being generated through Apple Intelligence.

And if you’ve already been running iOS 18.1 or iOS 18.2, iOS 18.3 will automatically enable Apple Intelligence on your device, assuming it can run it. You can still go into Settings to turn it off, but this is the first time it is being enabled by default, and the same switch-on occurs with macOS Sequoia 15.3 and iPadOS 18.3.

As with most other Apple software updates, iOS 18.3 also includes bug fixes and security updates, so it’s always advisable to keep your iPhone and other Apple devices up to date.

Jacob Krol is the US Managing Editor, News for TechRadar. He’s been writing about technology since he was 14 when he started his own tech blog. Since then Jacob has worked for a plethora of publications including CNN Underscored, TheStreet, Parade, Men’s Journal, Mashable, CNET, and CNBC among others.

He specializes in covering companies like Apple, Samsung, and Google and going hands-on with mobile devices, smart home gadgets, TVs, and wearables. In his spare time, you can find Jacob listening to Bruce Springsteen, building a Lego set, or binge-watching the latest from Disney, Marvel, or Star Wars.