Installing iOS 18.3? Here are the 3 biggest features you should try out first

Apple is officially rolling out iOS 18.3 to eligible iPhone models after a briefing testing period. The patch is a modest one. It doesn’t introduce new features or make sweeping changes, but it does make adjustments that will impact how users interact with the system. Apple Intelligence is now enabled by default, the company is restricting notification summaries for news apps, an d improving iPhone cameras.

Also: The best iPhones you can buy today (and if you should wait for iPhone 17)

After you’re done reading, you can install iOS 18.3 on your iPhone by opening the Settings menu and then going to General. Tap Software Update to install the patch. Be aware that you will need a phone capable of supporting iOS 18, like the iPhone 13 Pro. Also, note that the Apple Intelligence features are exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 16 series. Older models don’t support them.

1. Apple Intelligence is now the default

What is arguably the biggest change in iOS 18.3 is that Apple Intelligence has become enabled by default. This means users will immediately have access to all AI-powered features, from the upgraded Siri to Image Playground. Before this, iPhone owners had to manually activate the software inside the Settings menu.

Apple Intelligence can greatly elevate the user experience. The AI can summarize audio recordings, clean up photographs, and create Smart Replies to emails, among other things. However, the problem with Apple Intelligence is two-fold. One: it eats up “around 7GB of storage” space. And two: the software can quickly drain the battery.

Also: iOS 18.2 was killing my iPhone’s battery until I turned off this feature

This is not a permanent change. You can always deactivate the software by going to an iPhone’s settings menu, tapping the Apple Intelligence & Siri entry, and toggling the switch for Apple Intelligence.

2. Limiting news notifications

Apple Intelligence allows iPhones to summarize incoming notifications, highlighting key information. However, it’s not perfect. In December 2024, the BBC published an article criticizing the feature for generating “a false headline about a high-profile murder in the United States.” Apple has seemingly listened to the feedback and announced it is temporarily disabling all notification summaries for news and entertainment apps. The company may be taking the feature back to the drawing board to begin working on a fix.

Additionally, these summaries will sport italicized text to distinguish them from regular notifications. These changes will affect the iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, and all iPhone 16 models.

Also: I bought an iPhone 16 for its AI features, but I haven’t used them even once – here’s why

Apple has not given a timeline for when notification summaries will return to news and entertainment apps. However, according to online reports, the company will inform users who opted into Apple Intelligence once the tool becomes available again. To repeat what we said earlier, Apple Intelligence can be located under the “Apple Intelligence & Siri” tab in the iPhone settings menu.

3. Camera Control improvements

Following the steps of iOS 18.2, iOS 18.3 introduces another set of changes to Camera Control. Thanks to the update, Visual Intelligence is now able to “identify plants and animals” seen through the cameras. It can also add events seen on posters or flyers directly to the Calendar app. It doesn’t appear that users will be allowed to deactivate these new tools. They are a part of the camera system moving forward.

Also: We tested the iPhone 16 Pro camera system, and it’s highly underrated – with one tragic flaw

That’s pretty much it for iOS 18.3. The rest of the patch consists of tweaks to a few first-party apps, security upgrades, and bug fixes. For example, there was an issue where songs would continue playing even after Apple Music was closed. If you’re looking for a more robust update, you may have to wait until iOS 18.4, which is rumored to launch in April.