The iOS 18.2 update adds several new Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 16 (or iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max), primarily around image generation and visual intelligence for iPhone 16.
But ChatGPT is also integrated with Apple’s AI tools, including Siri, which is very useful. Here, we’ll show you all the places ChatGPT has been added to iOS and how you can use them to turbocharge your AI on your iPhone.
Enable ChatGPT
You don’t need a ChatGPT account to start using ChatGPT on your iPhone, but you do need to turn it on. Open (Settings) > (Apple Intelligence & Siri) and look for the ChatGPT menu under the (Extensions) heading. If Apple integrates other AI services, they will also appear here.
When you tap (Setup…) in the ChatGPT menu, a pop-up card will appear showing you what you can do with ChatGPT. Tap (Next), then tap (Enable ChatGPT) or (Use ChatGPT with your account) on the next card.
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You’ll also see a “Verify ChatGPT Requests” toggle, which is enabled by default. If Siri or other AI tools need to use ChatGPT, they will first be prompted. If you turn this off, you can chat uninterrupted, but regardless of how you set this toggle, ChatGPT will always ask you to confirm before sending an image.
Apple shares very limited information with OpenAI, only what is strictly necessary to fulfill your request, but if you leave it enabled, you will be required to opt-in to all requests. That may be a good thing, but if you don’t find the constant requests that worrying or bothersome, you can turn this off and allow the interaction to flow much more smoothly.
Sign in to your ChatGPT account
If you want to sign in to your ChatGPT account later, there is a sign-in option in the ChatGPT menu. When you sign in, your ChatGPT account keeps a record of all your ChatGPT requests. Using the ChatGPT app (mobile or desktop), you can see a history of all your ChatGPT requests from Siri and elsewhere in iOS.
There is a daily limit on the number of “advanced” requests you can make if you are not a ChatGPT subscriber, and a note will appear on this page if you exceed the limit. You will get “basic” results that are not very advanced until the next day. If you have a ChatGPT Plus subscription, you can log in and make all the advanced requests you need.
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Siri’s ChatGPT
Now that Chat GPT is turned on, let’s use it. The most obvious place to use ChatGPT is when interacting with Siri. As long as ChatGPT is enabled, Siri will automatically use ChatGPT for questions it doesn’t know the answer to. This means that answers that involve personal information on your phone or certain general knowledge questions will always be handled by Siri, but ChatGPT can answer much more than Siri ever could. You can.
You can also force ChatGPT for questions that Siri would normally answer automatically by adding “Ask ChatGPT” before Siri. If you say “Hey Siri, ask ChatGPT if dogs can eat broccoli,” you’ll get an answer from OpenAI’s chatbot, not Apple’s.
The real fun begins when you ask ChatGPT to do something Siri would never do. Try “Ask ChatGPT to write a short thank you note to my mom” or “Ask ChatGPT to create a 2-day itinerary for a visit to San Francisco.”
You can also use OpenAI’s image generation tools. For example, in the example below, we asked ChatGPT to create an image of a Siamese cat wearing a ninja costume. ChatGPT’s image generation capabilities are much more advanced and less restrictive than Image Playground.
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ChatGPT can also analyze images and on-screen content. When you ask Siri to ask ChatGPT a question about a web page you’re viewing, it will ask you to send a screenshot or the full content of the web page to ChatGPT to get an answer. For example, you can find a recipe online and have chatGPT summarize it for you. You can also take a photo of some ingredients and ask ChatGPT what dishes you can make with them.
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When you’re looking at a photo in the Photos app and you ask Siri to ask ChatGPT something about it, you’ll be asked to send the image to ChatGPT for analysis.
With Apple Intelligence, you have the option to enable the (Writing Tools) menu in any text box (by tapping the Apple Intelligence button in Notes or other wraps, or by long-pressing the text entry area). However, in iOS 18.2, you will also see a (Create) option at the bottom of the (Burning Tools) popup.
When you tap this, a prompt will appear where you can write what you want to write on ChatGPT. It can be a poem, a short invitation to a birthday party, fiction, technical documents, etc. Once completed, you will be able to type in the prompt window how to adjust the output, and have the option to rewrite from the original prompt. You’ll also see some one-tap suggestions from ChatGPT.
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ChatGPT’s image generation also works here. Use prompts that make it clear that you’re looking for an image rather than text, such as the image below for “Sad puppy on a rainy day…”
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ChatGPT in Visual Intelligence
Visual Intelligence is new to iPhone 16 with iOS 18.2. A long press on the camera control button will launch a new camera search interface. Take a photo of your business to see ratings and opening hours, take a photo of a common product to see a link to its website, text summaries, translations, and more.
Next to the “Search” button, you’ll see a persistent “Ask” button that asks ChatGPT questions about what you’re looking at. For example, ChatGPT can identify many plants and animals, and the text entry boxes at the bottom of the screen let you ask questions such as “Is this poisonous?” “How many calories does this have?” and “Does this have good reviews?” ?”
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Check out our complete guide to all the features and new features of the latest version of iOS 18.
