Apple has only just rolled out the iOS 18.2 update bringing a slew of Apple Intelligence features. However, we might be waiting until iOS 18.4 before we begin seeing the others Apple has promised in this release cycle.
The first developer beta for iOS 18.3 arrived this week and, thus far, there are no signs of further Gen AI upgrades for a release likely to launch to the public in late January, if the precedent of past years’ holds.
Snap up this incredible Polaroid Go 2 deal
Instant cameras continue to be a popular option for physical media fans and retro tech enthusiasts. You can currently save 23% on this bundle that includes a Polaroid Go 2 with 16 pieces of colour film.
- Amazon UK
- Was £119.99
- £84.76
9to5Mac reports there is now support for robot vacuums within HomeKit for control by Siri, but not a lot else of note within iOS 18.3 thus far.
In the release notes for the beta, Apple says: “The Home app now supports the core functionality of robot vacuum cleaners, such as power control, cleaning mode, vacuum, mop, and charge status. They can also participate in automations and scenes, and respond to Siri requests. So you can add them to your cleaning routines — or tell Siri to do some spot cleaning in the living room.”
Beyond that, Apple is focusing on bug fixes for iOS 18.3 at this stage, with a couple of tweaks to the Writing Tools API and Genmoji.
That’s cool n’ all, but it’s not the all singing, all dancing new version of Siri with conversational context Apple is continuing to work on behind the scenes. It is possible that more features will be introduced as the development cycle continues into January.
However, various reports, including those from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggest the new Siri revamp won’t arrive with the public until iOS 18.4 in March 2025.
In a preview video Apple shared in September, Apple joked about Siri’s forthcoming ability to help you remember the name of that person who’s name you can’t, provided you can narrow down an approximate data and the venue.
Apple says: “With richer language understanding and awareness of your personal context, Siri is more capable and helpful than ever.”
Just not yet.
