Here’s What’s New in IOS 18.3
When Apple released iOS 18.2 , it caused a stir, especially among iPhones compatible with Apple Intelligence. The update brings custom image generation to iOS, including Image Playground and Genmoji , as well as a revamped AI-powered Mail experience and more control over default apps .
We now have our first look at the company’s next iPhone update: iOS 18.3. Apple rolled out the first beta of 18.3 to developers on Monday, but since developer betas aren’t really just for developers, it means anyone interested in iOS betas can check out what’s new.
However, there is not much that is new. If this first beta is any indication, iOS 18.3 won’t be a feature-packed update; rather, it will be one that brings some minor changes and bug fixes to the iPhone. For example, big changes to Siri will likely be included in iOS 18.4 .
However, Apple may add more features and changes in subsequent iOS 18.3 beta updates. As the company continues beta testing and will eventually release the full iOS 18.3 update to compatible iPhones, I’ll update this article with what’s new. In the meantime, here’s what we know about what’s coming from this first developer beta:
Robot vacuum cleaner support in Home app
The Apple Home app doesn’t currently support robot vacuums, but it will soon. The company first announced support for iOS 18 back in June , but then canceled the release. Support for robot vacuums has officially been delayed, but MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris found code in iOS 18.3 beta 1 indicating that the new update supports these vacuums:
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Apple currently has the following to say about robot vacuum support in iOS 18, which it says will still be coming in an update: “The Home app now supports core robot vacuum features such as power management, cleaning mode, vacuum cleaner, mop , and charge status. They can also participate in automations and scenes, and respond to Siri prompts, so you can add them to your cleaning routines or ask Siri to spot clean your living room.”
Give feedback on AI image creation
Part of the improvement in AI image generation comes from user feedback: if the model produces an image and the user says something went wrong, the model can then take that feedback as part of its training and hopefully return a result that it agrees with. over time it becomes closer to expected.
In iOS 18.3, Apple added a thumbs up and thumbs down option for creating images for both Image Playground and Genmoji. When using the beta version, you’ll have the ability to quickly tell iOS whether the image or emoji it generated is correct or off-target.
The camera control settings icon has a dark mode option
This is a very small change, but it is useful for those with an eye for detail. On iPhone 16 devices, the camera button settings icon now has a dark mode option. If you go to Accessibility settings on iOS 18.2 and earlier, this icon will be bright in both light and dark modes and will not match the rest of the icons, which are customized based on the system theme.
Bug fixes
The iOS 18.3 developer beta adds two bug fixes to previous versions of iOS. One of them is for Genmoji and fixes an issue where a personalized Genmoji could not be created without first selecting another person. Another fixes a bug with Writing Tools that would prevent third-party apps that use the Writing Tools API from using the built-in interface if the first responder is not a UIView. (This option, as you might have guessed, is intended specifically for developers.)
Genmoji coming to macOS 15.3
This doesn’t apply to your iPhone, but if you have a Mac, keep in mind that Apple is bringing Genmoji support to macOS 15.3 . Genmoji is probably my favorite Apple Intelligence feature: I would literally never use images created from the Image Playground for anything, but I really enjoy creating my own emoji to react to part of my current conversation. Apple isn’t bringing Image Playground to Mac yet, but that’s okay: Genmoji support will be more than enough.
How to install iOS 18.3
Again, iOS 18.3 is currently in beta—a developer beta, no less—and shouldn’t be installed haphazardly. For now, the beta is only for developers to test their apps on the new OS and alert Apple to any bugs they find. As such, it is not intended for general use, so downloading it on a personal device may have unintended consequences.
If you’re willing to take those risks (please back up all your important data first), installing version 18.3 right now is pretty easy. You just need an iOS 18 compatible iPhone . To get started, log into developer.apple.com on this iPhone using your Apple ID. Then go to Settings > General > Software Update . From here, tap Beta Updates and select iOS 18 Developer Beta . Click Back and in a moment you will see iOS 18.3 Beta . Follow the onscreen instructions to download and install the software on your iPhone.