iOS 18.3 is nearly here, and the free update coming to all the best iPhones is about to unlock even more Apple Intelligence features for iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro users.
The latest update for your iPhone is expected to launch in the coming weeks, and with the arrival of the iOS 18.3 Release Candidate for developers we've now got a glimpse of everything to expect.
One of the big additions coming in iOS 18.3 is a huge update to Visual Intelligence, the exclusive Apple Intelligence feature that's built into the iPhone 16's Camera Control. Visual Intelligence gets three new tricks in iOS 18.3, and it finally feels like Apple is delivering on the promises of that impressive unveiling during its iPhone keynote in September of last year.
Here are the three neat new upgrades coming to the iPhone 16's Visual Intelligence in iOS 18.3.
1. Add events to calendar from a flyer
The biggest new trick coming to Visual Intelligence in iOS 18.3 is the ability to snap a photo of a poster or flyer – promoting a concert for example – and add all the details to your iPhone's Calendar app.
Visual Intelligence will now be able to quickly analyze a document, and allow you to tap on the date and time to create calendar events.
This is a very cool addition to Visual Intelligence, and one of the main features that Apple showcased initially. When I first tried Visual Intelligence towards the end of last year I was disappointed that this functionality wasn't available, so I'm excited to finally be able to quickly add events to my calendar when I spot something that I don't want to forget.
2. Identify animals
How often do you see a cute dog or an interesting bird while walking through the park? Well, now you can use Apple Intelligence to identify the animal by simply snapping a photo with Visual Intelligence.
This is another trick Apple showcased when first unveiling Visual Intelligence, and one that should prove fun for animal lovers. In Apple's promotional video, a man snaps a photo of a dog on the street and instantly gets a pop-up identifying the breed.
As a dog owner myself, I often encounter different dog breeds while walking my French bulldog, and I this new addition to Visual Intelligence should be handy for the times I want to know more about them. That said, you won't want to start taking photos of someone's dog without asking.
3. Help with my allergies
This one might be a bit niche, but it could be hugely helpful for allergy sufferers. Visual Intelligence will be able to identify plants in the same way it can now identify animals. That might not sound that exciting, but I suffer from hay fever almost daily, and whenever my partner buys a new plant or adds flowers to our home, I usually end up with itchy eyes.
With Visual Intelligence's iOS 18.3 upgrade, I'll be able to snap a photo of any plant I see before we purchase it, and check whether it's likely to cause my allergies to flair up. Visual Intelligence works alongside ChatGPT and Google Search, allowing you to not only identify the plant but also ask questions related to it.
I wish I'd had this feature over the holidays, when my partner bought a poinsettia that made my eyes burn for a good week before we realized that it was the cause. So this one might not be interesting to everyone, but it's certainly exciting for me.
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