Time to download iOS 18.3 with important security patches, AI improvements, and more
Apple released the stable version of iOS 18.3 today which includes some of the features that I've been able to test running the iOS 18.3 beta software on my iPhone 15 Pro Max. One change will now alert those running iOS 18.3 on an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence (such models include iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and all iPhone 16 models) when a news notification has been summarized by AI. The issue is that some of these news-based notifications became fake news when AI takes over.
iOS 18.3 fixes some Apple Intelligence features
For example, one notification that was incorrectly summarized by Apple Intelligence was about a news story involving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Some iPhone users received an AI-generated summarized news story saying that Netanyahu had been arrested which was not the case. An arrest warrant was issued for the prime minister from the International Criminal Court; he was not arrested.
Apple releases iOS 18.3. | Image credit-9to5Mac
To end the confusion over a real news notification and a summarized AI notification of a news event, in iOS 18.3 and later, Apple will use italics on summarized news stories. So if you're wondering whether the summarized notification you received stating that Luigi Mangione shot himself is true, look to see if that notification is italicized. If it is, there is the possibility that AI incorrectly summarized the story and you should take it with a grain of salt.
You can now disable summarized notifications by going to Settings > Notifications. Go to Summarize Notifications and toggle off the button. Or, you can swipe on one of the summarized notifications from the Lock Screen or Notification Center by swiping the notification, tapping "Options," and then selecting, "Turn Off Summaries."
The iOS 18.3 update also brings back a popular feature that had been removed from the iPhone calculator in iOS 18. The feature allowed the calculator to continue the last operation by pressing the "equals" button.
For example, let's say that you are multiplying 7 times 3 resulting in an answer of 21. Hit the equal key again and in iOS 18.3, the Calculator app will run the last operation another time. So this time the previous answer, 21, is multiplied by 3 which equals 63. Hit the "equals" button again and the previous answer, 63, is multiplied by 3 giving you the answer of 189. Hit the "equals" key again and the operation is repeated. 189 multiplied by 3 equals 567. This was a very popular feature and iPhone users are glad to get it back.
With iOS 18.3, Apple Intelligence is enabled on compatible devices by default, a controversial move by Apple. It will, however, give iPhone users the ability to use Apple Intelligence before setting up their new iPhone. The update also allows iPhone 16 series users to improve Visual Intelligence using the Camera Center. With iOS 18.3, Visual Intelligence can add the date of an event found on a poster to your calendar app. It can also identify animals and plants.
The update also exterminates a bug that made the keyboard disappear when typing a query or task to Siri. With iOS 18.3, when closing Apple Music, audio playback will continue until a song ends.
iOS 18.3 fixes 29 iOS vulnerabilities
The update also fixes 29 iOS vulnerabilities, one of which has already been used in attacks. This flaw, CVE-2025-24085, was found in CoreMedia and could allow a malicious app to elevate privileges. This means that the app has access to more capabilities than it was designed for. As a result, the app can perform actions that it shouldn't be able to possibly resulting in damage to the device or user.
The update also fixes two bugs in the iOS Kernel, the core component of an operating system. With a tracking number of CVE-2025-24107, the first flaw could allow a malicious app to have root privileges giving it complete control over a phone's system. The second flaw could allow an app to execute code with Kernel privileges, the highest level of access inside an operating system.
You can install iOS 18.3 on a compatible iPhone by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
We should soon see the iOS 18.4 beta 1 become available to those subscribed with the iOS 18 Beta program. This update will give Siri the ability to go through your email, messages, and calendar to answer personal questions.
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