Practical: iOS 18.2 Beta 2 changes and features [Video]

The first beta for iOS 18.2 brought a ton of new changes and features, most notably phase two of the Apple Intelligence rollout. In the second beta, Apple continues to build on Apple Intelligence, but we also find some other notable additions like camera control AE/AF lock for iPhone 16 users, lost item tracking, and the ability to loop video in the Photos app deactivate. For more details, see the full handy video guide.

What’s new in iOS 18.2 Beta 2?

My colleague Ryan provided an excellent summary of what’s new in iOS 18.2 Beta 2, so I recommend you read his post on the public beta release. In addition to my in-depth video covering about 20 new changes and features, I’d like to just touch on some of the highlights.

Video: iOS 18.2 Beta 2 changes and features

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Disable video looping

With the release of iOS 18, Apple made sure that all videos played in the Stock Photos app will play in an endless loop. Although I am largely in favor of this change, not everyone wants it. That’s why it’s nice to see that there’s an option to disable loops in iOS 18.2. To find the option, open Settings → All apps → Photos and turn off the Looping option.

AE/AF lock with camera control

The next notable feature in the iOS 18.2 Beta 2 update was announced by Apple during its iPhone 16 keynote – the ability to activate AE/AF lock by continuously lightly pressing the camera control button.

AE of course stands for Auto Exposure and AF for Auto Focus. Locking these attributes preserves both the current exposure and focus, even if you recompose the shot or add different lighting conditions to the shot. iPhone users have long been able to lock these values ​​by long-pressing the subject in the image, but what’s even better is assigning such a function directly to a button.

Using the camera control button allows users to keep their hands on the camera, which can help reduce camera shake and distractions. This also means that it is much easier to reset exposure and focus as the setting is no longer locked and can be quickly reset by releasing the camera control button.

Share the location of the article

The last big feature I want to highlight from iOS 18.2 Beta 2 is the new item location sharing feature in the Find My app. This feature allows users to create a link that allows other users and companies such as airlines to also track lost items.

Share Item Location works with AirTags and presumably other third-party FindMy-enabled accessories. The link is active for seven days and automatically expires once the article is found.

This feature could be very handy for tracking down lost luggage, and based on Apple’s portrayal in the Find My app, this will be one of the main use cases of this feature. The user can track how many people viewed the link and disable the article’s position at any time.

9to5Mac’s Take

These three features are just a taste of what’s new in the second beta version of iOS 18.2. Watch the full hands-on video guide for an in-depth look at everything new. Also, be sure to check out my first beta walkthrough for a better understanding of all the new Apple Intelligence features in the Phase 2 rollout.

What do you think about iOS 18.2 Beta 2? Sound off in the comments below.