In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg"s Mark Gurman shared an exciting update about Apple"s Image Playground and Genmoji features. According to Gurman, Apple could include its image generation features with the iOS 18.2 beta update.
If Apple follows its tradition, the iOS 18.2 beta update should arrive sometime in October. Apple did not include the Image Playground and Genmoji features with any of the iOS 18.1 beta updates.
The omission led to some confusion about why the company has seemingly delayed the features, fueling speculation that Apple may not release the image generation features this year. However, we have an answer from a trusted source.
Gurman notes that the iOS 18.2 beta update will still not include the new Siri with personal context and is expected to start shipping with iOS 18.4 next spring. Another anticipated Apple Intelligence feature, ChatGPT support in both Siri and across the system, is also missing from the scene at the moment.
Thankfully, Apple CEO Tim Cook addressed this delay in the ChatGPT support rollout, reassuring that the feature will be available by the end of this year. Supposedly, it should also arrive with the iOS 18.2 beta update.
Image Playground is a new tool that allows users to generate all sorts of creative AI images. Users can choose from three styles: Animation, Illustration, and Sketch. Based on the selection, the AI tool will generate images. Unfortunately, the Image Playground tool doesn"t support generating photo-realistic images.
Genmoji is another Apple tool that lets you generate custom emojis based on a prompt. This lets users express themselves in a way beyond the Unicode emoji standard. The Genmoji can be used as inline images or shared as stickers or reactions. Users can generate Genmojis of their friends and family members based on their photos.
For now, Apple is all set to unveil the iPhone 16 series at the "Glowtime" event on September 9. You can watch the event on YouTube by clicking here.