Discover more from The Shortcut
Apple just released iOS 18.3 for all iPhones, but should you update?
Apple is rolling out its latest iOS update with fixes for AI summaries of your notifications, but is it worth installing?
📱 Apple has officially released iOS 18.3 for all iPhone users
🤖 The update includes a handful of tweaks to how AI notification summaries work
🪳 You also get a bunch of bug fixes and security patches
⬆️ We recommend that everyone upgrades to iOS 18.3 - here’s why
Apple has been keeping iOS 18 fresh since its release back in September with regular updates, and the latest improves a key part of Apple Intelligence that’s been bugging a lot of users, including myself. iOS 18.3 was officially released today to all iPhone users - alongside iPadOS 18.3, watchOS 11.3, visionOS 2.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3, and tvOS 18.3 - and with it are a slew of AI improvements, as well as some bug fixes and security updates.
🤖 Apple Intelligence notification summaries go back to beta, while Visual Intelligence gets a boost
The biggest change in iOS 18.3 is how Apple Intelligence handles notification summaries. The feature has become a frequent meme online for generating misleading information pertaining to the notifications you’ve received, including false information about sensitive stories and messages users have received. To that end, Apple is adjusting how notification summaries are generated.
In iOS 18.3, notification summaries will be marked as beta to further emphasize they aren’t perfect. News and entertainment apps won’t get notification summaries moving forward; instead, Apple will work on making sure those apps get treated better in the future and re-enable the feature in a future iOS update. It’s also adding italics to notification summaries so you know when something’s generated by AI and when it’ snot. In addition, you’ll be able to directly disable notifications for a specific app from the lock screen.
Meanwhile, Visual Intelligence is receiving an upgrade. After debuting in iOS 18.1, the smart camera feature is getting updated with the ability to add events to your calendar by pointing your iPhone at specific dates and times. For instance, you could point your camera at a poster and add the event’s information directly to your schedule with a few taps. Visual Intelligence is also now better at identifying plants and animals than before.
Apple is enabling Apple Intelligence by default for all iOS 18.3 users, which means you won’t have to dive into the Settings app to turn it on any more. Granted, the AI features might not be for you, and the “off” switch is always there if you want it. But for those who want to update their phone and immediately experience Apple’s bleeding-edge AI features, iOS 18.3 will deliver that.
🪳 iOS 18.3 squashes bugs, too
Apple also includes a slew of bug fixes in iOS 18.3 to help make your iPhone more stable. The biggest fixes of them all involve Calculator, which now lets you start a new operation by hitting the equals key multiple times after performing a separate operation. Your keyboard will also remain on the screen when typing a request to Siri (something that didn’t always happen in iOS 18.2), and Apple Music will stop playing music when you close it from now on.
iOS 18.3 also comes with other minor bug fixes, as well as security patches to help keep your device safe from hackers.
⚙️ Should you upgrade to iOS 18.3?
We recommend installing iOS 18.3 on your iPhone to help keep your device as safe as possible, while also improving your experience with Apple Intelligence. Even if your iPhone doesn’t support AI, it’ll still benefit from the bug and security patches that Apple includes.
iOS 18.3 is available right now through Settings > General > Software Update on your iPhone.
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.
