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Tech Matters: How to use the big update on iPhone

By Leslie Meredith - Special to the Standard-Examiner | Dec 18, 2024

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Leslie Meredith

With last week’s release of iOS 18.2, iPhones can now use ChatGPT as part of the built-in Apple Intelligence. The caveat is that you must have an iPhone 16 series or an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max for any of Apple’s artificial intelligence features to be accessible, which may mean you’ll be gifting yourself a new phone this holiday season.

ChatGPT integration improves the workflow for those who use ChatGPT, a large language model (LLM) that generates text, images and code. Instead of working between two different programs such as Apple Mail and ChatGPT — asking the LLM to draft an email for you and then copying and pasting it into Mail — these functions can now be done all within the same program.

This is a big step up from what was available in October’s launch of iOS 18 with Apple Intelligence. At that time, text-based artificial intelligence features focused on writing tools to proofread, rewrite and summarize text wherever you type words in iOS — emails, messages or documents. If you’re a Grammarly user, the interface feels familiar: selecting more concise wording, fixing grammatical errors and rewriting for tone. The initial release of Apple Intelligence also included a summarizing feature that proved to be useful for managing a barrage of emails.

Now, users can generate text with ChatGPT everywhere they could refine it, merging the writing and editing process. The update also brings ChatGPT to Siri, enabling her to use it as the engine to find answers to your questions — a huge expansion of Siri’s knowledge base.

This trend of merging tools is part of a larger pattern in technology. Consider how cameras and phones were once separate devices but are now so intertwined that we can’t imagine one without the other, or how portable music players evolved from standalone gadgets like the iPod to being integrated into smartphones. In the same way, Apple’s integration of ChatGPT makes artificial intelligence feel like a natural extension of the iPhone’s capabilities. So let’s see how to get started.

Before using ChatGPT, you’ll need to enable Apple Intelligence in the settings menu. Once you turn on Apple Intelligence, you can activate the ChatGPT extension. If you have a paid ChatGPT account, you can log in for personalized results, but it’s optional. Using ChatGPT without an account means your conversations won’t be shared with ChatGPT and used for training artificial intelligence models. However, if you sync it with your ChatGPT account, you’ll have a record of your conversations and ChatGPT can rely on its memory of what it’s stored about you.

Let’s begin with Siri. Open Siri in the normal way by saying, “Siri” or “Hey, Siri” or by holding down the side button. Instead of jumping into your query, start by saying, “Use ChatGPT,” and then proceed. This cues Siri to use ChatGPT to find the answers you’re looking for. You’ll soon see that you can ask much more detailed questions about almost anything and get good responses. You can also ask for citations if you want to check the facts yourself, which can be wise.

In apps like Messages and Mail, you can use ChatGPT to write the message for you by providing a brief description of what you’d like to say. For an email response, select Reply as usual, tap where you’ll start the message and then select the Writing Tools icon and choose “Compose.” A window will pop up with the ChatGPT interface. Type in a brief description and ChatGPT will write the email for you. You can edit as you’d like or choose an option such as “Make it more formal.” When you’re happy with the results, send your message. This process still seems a bit cumbersome to me. I’d like to see autonomic responses to simple emails, particularly in a chain where ChatGPT can see the back and forth. For more complex subjects, it could ask a clarifying question and then write the email — maybe in the next update?

Regardless of which iPhone you have, as long as it’s an iPhone XS or later, it’s important to update to iOS 18.2 for added protection. This update includes 21 security fixes that address vulnerabilities ranging from potentially letting a remote hacker take control of your phone to rerouting network traffic. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has issued a warning, urging all users with a compatible iPhone to update as soon as possible. Even if you don’t use any of the new artificial intelligence features, keeping your device secure is reason enough to install the update. For ongoing protection, make sure you’ve enabled automatic updates.

Leslie Meredith has been writing about technology for more than a decade. As a mom of four, value, usefulness and online safety take priority. Have a question? Email Leslie at asklesliemeredith@gmail.com.

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