Read the iOS 18.3 release notes to learn about new Visual Intelligence features, tweaks to AI notification summaries and other iPhone changes in this update.
You can download and install an iOS 18.3 update on your iPhone over the air by going to Settings > General > Software Update and following the instructions.
iOS 18.1 introduced the first set of Apple Intelligence features and iOS 18.2 expanded them with six new capabilities. For those interested, we’ve rounded up all the Apple Intelligence features available on iPhone and explained what they do.
iOS 18.3 release notes: What’s new in this iPhone update?
You can read the iOS 18.3 changelog in the Software Update interface and on Apple’s website. We’ve pasted the full iOS 18.3 release notes below.
This update brings improvements to visual intelligence along with other enhancements, bug fixes and security updates for your iPhone.
Visual intelligence with Camera Control (all iPhone 16 models)
● Add an event to Calendar from a poster or flyer
● Easily identify plants and animals
Notification summaries (all iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max)
● Easily manage settings for notification summaries from the Lock Screen
● Updated style for summarized notifications better distinguishes them from other notifications by using italicized text as well as the glyph
● Notification summaries for News & Entertainment apps are temporarily unavailable, and users who opt-in will see them again when the feature becomes available
This update includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:
● Calculator repeats the last mathematical operation when you tap the equals sign again
● Fixes an issue where the keyboard might disappear when initiating a typed Siri request
● Resolves an issue where audio playback continues until the song ends even after closing Apple Music
Apple’s security page will be refreshed to provide information about iOS 18.3’s security content, such as critical bug fixes and patches for serious vulnerabilities.
iOS 18.3 turns on Apple Intelligence by default
After installing iOS 18.3 on your iPhone, whether updating or installing as new, Apple Intelligence will be automatically turned on. This is a departure from before when Apple Intelligence used to be opt-in. Here’s Apple’s clarification:
For users new or upgrading to iOS 18.3, Apple Intelligence will be enabled automatically during iPhone onboarding. Users will have access to Apple Intelligence features after setting up their devices. To disable Apple Intelligence, users will need to navigate to the Apple Intelligence & Siri settings pane and turn off the Apple Intelligence toggle. This will disable Apple Intelligence features on their device.
Apple Intelligence is compatible with the iPhone 15 Pro models and the whole iPhone 16 lineup (support for non-English languages will arrive later in 2025).
iOS 18.3 disables some AI notification summaries
Another thing iOS 18.3 does is temporarily turn off those unhinged AI notification summaries that can change the meaning of the original headlines. After installing the update, notification summaries for news and entertainment are disabled and will automatically appear when available in a future software update.
To better distinguish regular notifications from AI-powered notification summaries, iOS 18.3 uses italics and a special glyph to clarify when the text being displayed is summarization provided by Apple Intelligence.
iOS 18.3 brings back repeating calculations
iOS 18.3 also restores support for repeating operations in the built-in Calculator app. Just press the equals button again to perform the last mathematical operation. For example, if you type a calculation like 3 x 2 and click the equals button, you’ll get an answer—in this case, 6. But if you hit the equals button again, Calculator will multiply the result by 2 again, giving you 12 as a result. The app will continue multiplying by 2 every time you tap the equals button.
iOS 18.3 warns you about cropping PDF screenshots
iOS 18.3 brings a subtle privacy tweak when cropping out areas from full-page PDF screenshots. When you take a scrolling screenshot and crop some areas out, you’ll see a message when saving the image as a PDF, saying “the cropped content is not removed from the PDF.” While content outside the cropped area won’t be visible in most PDF viewers, it can still be “made visible in some apps.”
iOS 18.4 is coming in March or April
iOS 18.4 is expected to drop in March or April alongside iPadOS 18.3 and macOS Sequoia 15.3. Apple hasn’t started the iOS 18. beta cycle yet, so we don’t know what changes to expect from iOS 18.4. We do, however, know that macOS Sequoia 15.4 and iPadOS 18.4 will bring the redesigned Mail app with AI features to Macs and iPads. The revamped Mail app has been available on iPhone as of iOS 18.2.