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Hidden iPhone features waiting to be switched on by Apple revealed including bizarre dog-scanning button coming soon

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YOUR iPhone is brimming with untapped potential as Apple prepares to switch on hidden features we know about – but that aren’t live yet.

Well, maybe. It depends on your iPhone model, and the country you live in.

a person is holding a cell phone with a woman holding a blue balloon on the screen
Apple
toonsbymoonlight

The Camera Control button has a secret feature that’s coming soon[/caption]

a person holding a cell phone in front of a building that says cassava
Apple

You’ll be able to scan things that you see to find out more about them[/caption]

But if you’re a lucky gadget owner, you’re owed a smorgasbord of top tech tricks.

VISUAL INTELLIGENCE

First up is Visual Intelligence, which will let you point your camera at something to find out more about it.

It works using the new physical Camera Control button.

Right now the button is just for snapping pics and controlling camera settings.

But eventually Apple will update it so that you can hold it down to use Visual Intelligence.

Here’s what Apple has said about it: “The iPhone 16 lineup also introduces Camera Control, which brings new ways to capture memories.

“And will help users quickly access visual intelligence to learn about objects or places around them faster than ever before.”

For instance, you could pull up the hours or ratings for a restaurant that you’re seeing.

If you pass a flyer for an event, Visual Intelligence would let you add it to your calendar quickly.

And you could even point your camera at a dog to instantly identify its breed.

The company added that it would be coming “later this year”.

Apple didn’t specifically lay out which models would be getting the feature.

But in its newsroom post, Apple noted that “Camera Control will unlock visual intelligence”, which suggests that it’s only on models with the new button.

That means you’ll need an iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, or iPhone 16 Pro Max to get it.

a phone with a new emoji on the screen
Apple

You’ll be able to create custom emoji – even of your friends and family[/caption]

CUSTOM EMOJI

Less informative and arguably more fun is Apple’s new custom emoji generated with AI.

Hence the name: Genmoji.

Apple clearly thinks that the hundreds of existing emoji just aren’t enough – and maybe it’s right.

So now you’ll be able to have iOS 18 create emoji for you, based on whatever you’re talking about.

smiley relaxing wearing cucumbers is being typed into a phone
Apple

Simply type in a prompt and your iPhone will generate a custom emoji for you[/caption]

a phone screen shows a message from tamara nguyen
Apple

You can use the custom emoji for Tapback replies in iMessage[/caption]

The power of AI is limitless, truly.

“By simply typing a description, their Genmoji appears, along with additional options,” Apple explained.

“Users can even create Genmoji of friends and family based on their photos.

“Just like emoji, Genmoji can be added inline to messages, or shared as a sticker or reaction in a Tapback.”

So when (and where) is it out?

Genmoji is wrapped up in Apple Intelligence, a huge suite of AI upgrades coming as part of a future iOS 18 update.

Rumour has it that we’ll see it in iOS 18.2 in November or December, although this isn’t officially confirmed.

It’s expected to launch in the US first, followed by the UK in December.

a phone screen shows a conversation between nguyen forever and tamara nguyen
Apple

The custom emoji will appear alongside regular ones for easy re-use[/caption]

The catch is that Apple Intelligence is only supported on these iPhone models:

  • iPhone 15 Pro
  • iPhone 15 Pro Max
  • iPhone 16
  • iPhone 16 Plus
  • iPhone 16 Pro
  • iPhone 16 Pro Max

If you’ve got an older iPhone, you’re out of luck.

PHOTO CLEAN-UP

Also coming soon is Clean Up, which lets you scrub away unwanted parts of an image.

a phone with a picture of a family on it
Apple

Clean Up will let you instantly remove unwanted objects or people from your photos[/caption]

This one isn’t exactly an Apple invention – Google has offered its Magic Eraser for an age now.

But it’s still a handy perk that’s finally coming to iOS.

It works using AI to basically swap out the part of the image you don’t want with normal-looking scenery.

You can simply tap or circle something in an image to remove it.

APPLE INTELLIGENCE – WHERE CAN YOU GET IT?

Here's the full list of devices that are compatible with Apple Intelligence…

iPhone:

  • iPhone 15 Pro
  • iPhone 15 Pro Max
  • iPhone 16
  • iPhone 16 Plus
  • iPhone 16 Pro
  • iPhone 16 Pro Max

iPad:

  • iPad Pro (M1 and later)
  • iPad Air (M1 and later)

Mac:

  • MacBook Air (M1 and later)
  • MacBook Pro (M1 and later)
  • iMac (M1 and later)
  • Mac mini (M1 and later)
  • Mac Studio (M1 Max and later)
  • Mac Pro (M2 Ultra)

It’s coming to Apple Intelligence devices (see the list above) in iOS 18.1.

We’re expecting that update as soon as October, although there’s no official release date just yet.

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