Apple has launched the beta for developers of iOS 18.2the next version of the operating system of the iPhone. It brings important new features, but none more so than a new functionality that has never been seen on the Apple platform in all these years: the option to remove native applications from the operating system.
Apple is known for ‘walled gardens’ of its ecosystem and how it pushes the user to stay within it. But the Digital Markets Law European has brought important changes to the platform and this is one of them. Among the obligatory measures aimed at giving more choices to the user, it is now possible choose alternatives for aspects that until now relied on Apple apps: phone, messages, text translation, browser, password manager, keyboards and caller ID. For a few months now, and also required by European regulations, iOS has supported third-party app stores alongside the App Store.
But with iOS 18.2, they won’t have to share space on the phone if the user doesn’t want to. App Storenext to Messages, Photos, Camera and Safari They may be completely removed from iOS. The user should keep in mind that if they uninstall the App Store, the already installed applications will stop updating, but all the removed native ones can be reinstalled.
Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.2
Beyond this issue, The main new features of iOS 18.2 are the AI functions that here, for the moment, we will not see. Apple Intelligencewhich begins to unfold with the launch of iOS 18.1 next week, It will not be available in Europe until it finds a way to adapt to European regulations.
The original plan is that Apple Intelligence features will arrive with iOS 18available since last month, but it was not like that. New AI features will be added gradually with several updates and until 2025. With iOS 18.1improvements are incorporated in Sirigenerative writing tools, smart answers in Messages and summaries of Notifications.
With iOS 18.2, comes the integration of ChatGPT with Siri, generating images in Messages with GenMoji and Image Playgroundwhich run locally, and Visual Intelligencea function similar to Google Lens which provides information about the elements in an image. In any case, nothing related to Apple Intelligence will be available in Europe, for the moment.