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Apple just rolled out the most boring iOS 18.3 update
From the new features to the supported devices, here’s the lowdown on iOS 18.3
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Your support makes all the difference.Whether you’re sporting a new iPhone 16 or you’ve stuck with your current model, a number of Apple devices can now upgrade to the tech giant’s latest iOS 18.3 software update, which makes a few tweaks to Apple Intelligence, which first rolled out to UK users in iOS 18.2. But who can upgrade and who misses out?
While iOS 18.2 launched with Image Playground, Genmoji and visual intelligence in early December, iOS 18.3 seems to be a more muted update. The main thing is that Apple Intelligence is now turned on for all compatible devices that can use it and have iOS 18.3 installed. Anyone with an iPhone 16 will also be able to use visual intelligence to add an event to the calendar app and identify plants and animals.
Apple has also turned off its much-maligned AI notification summaries for news and entertainment apps after drawing criticism for incorrectly summarising news articles. Apple now states that notification summaries are in beta and italicises them so users can differentiate real notifications from summaries.
One small update improves the calculator app, letting users tap the enter button to repeat the last mathematical equation. Siri’s personalised, useful and human-like responses still aren’t here in iOS 18.3 – those are expected to come in iOS 18.4. Once available, it will be able to pull your vital information from across apps and hand your question over to ChatGPT for any queries it can’t handle on device.
Every phone with an A12 Bionic chip or later can download iOS 18.3, but only the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and the full iPhone 16 range are able to access Apple’s AI features. If you don’t have one of the newer models, you still get the phone call recorder, which can create transcriptions in the notes app, as well as a natural language search in the App Store, new buttons in the control centre and the new hearing health features on the AirPods Pro 2.
So, which devices can update to iOS 18.3, and which devices get Apple Intelligence?
When will Apple iOS 18.3 be released?
The new iOS 18.3 update rolled out to devices on Tuesday 28 January. Make sure your iPhone is either fully charged or plugged in before you start the update and that you have enough storage space to download it.
Apple iOS 18.3-supported devices
If you downloaded iOS 18 in September, you’ll also be able to get the free iOS 18.2 update. As before, you need to have an iPhone with an A12 Bionic chip or later. That’s because the A12 has what Apple calls a neural engine. Any iPhone without this chip or better would be too slow to run the new operating system efficiently.
The iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR are the oldest iPhones that support iOS 18. Here’s the list of compatible iPhones in full:
- iPhone SE, 2nd gen: From £379, Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone XS, XS Max and XR: From £159.95 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone 11 series: From £190.99 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone 12 series: From £269.20 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone 13 series: Was £499, now £449, Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone 14 series: Was £599, now £549, Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone 15 series: From £699, Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone 16 series: From £799, Amazon.co.uk
Apple Intelligence-supported devices
Here’s where things get more complicated. While the iPhones we’ve just mentioned can all upgrade to iOS 18.3, only the very latest iPhones can access the new Apple Intelligence features.
This is because Apple Intelligence runs mostly on-device, and your iPhone will need a lot of specialised processing power to use it. That means you’ll need a Mac or iPad with an M1 chip or later. The pool of iPhones that support Apple Intelligence is even smaller.
You’ll need an iPhone with an A17 Pro chip or better. Besides the newly-released iPhone 16 range, which uses the new A18 chip, the only iPhones with Apple Intelligence are the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The base iPhone 15 won’t get Apple Intelligence, because it uses the older A16 chipset.
Here’s the full list of iPhone and Apple devices compatible with Apple Intelligence:
iPhones
- iPhone 16 series: From £799, Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone 15 Pro: From £999, Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone 15 Pro Max: Was £1,119, now £1,049, Amazon.co.uk
iPads
- iPad Pro (M1 and later): From £539.99 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk
- iPad Air (M1 and later): From £449.99 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk
Macs
- iMac (M1 and later): From £749 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk
- Mac mini (M1 and later): From £399.99 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk
- Mac Studio (M1 and later): From £2,099, Apple.com
- Mac Pro M2 Ultra: From £7,199, Apple.com
Best iPhone 16 deals
The best way to buy the new iPhone 16 is to get it directly from Apple. You can get it with zero per cent finance, spreading the cost over 24 months with no interest to pay.
The base iPhone 16 costs £799, or £33.29 per month, while the top-end iPhone 16 Pro Max costs £1,199, or £49.95 per month. Pair your new iPhone with a SIM-only deal from one of these carriers to get the best value deal on the new iPhone 16.
If you’re mid-contract or an existing customer looking to upgrade, it’s always worth checking out your current provider’s deals on the new iPhone 16. The four big networks, Vodafone, EE, O2 and Three have some iPhone 16 deals. The major carriers offer all kinds of bundle deals, like free Disney+ subscriptions, trade-in offers and brand freebies so they can work out cheaper than a SIM-only plan if you know you’ll make use of the extras.
Voucher codes
For the latest discounts on phones and other tech offers, try the links below:
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