We have been playing around with the first iOS 18.2 beta for developers and it comes with plenty of AI features. The app that we are focussed on at the moment is Image Playground. That’s right, it appears as a separate app.

When you initially click on it, you will be added to a waitlist and you may remain there for a few days before the app is activated. It is being done to ensure a smooth transition.

When we finally got access, all that the app needed was to download a few background files. On opening the app, there is a prompt that reads: “Describe an image or add a suggestion from the list.”

The first “suggestion” is always a photo from the Photos app, followed by a number of suggestions, like a chef’s hat or a bowtie. On swiping left, you will find more suggestions, this time categorised — themes, costumes, accessories and places. It is very thorough and impressive.

There is also the option to mix elements from the theme palette, like a robot with a bowtie. Throw in a pair of sunglasses or perhaps walking through a forest.

The best part of the app is that once you begin scrolling through the images that have been generated, more images get generated automatically. After going through four pictures, another image gets generated. The user can save or share the output.

At any point you can get rid of an element in the image, making the overall feel change automatically.

The speed at which images are generated is pretty impressive and that is why Apple is allowing it only on iPhone 15 Pro and upwards. So if you have the iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Plus, you can’t.

Also, Apple has retained the feel of an animation, ensuring nobody mistakes these images for fake ones.

That’s not all, you can describe an image and watch it get generated, like “cute cat running across a field”. Once again, you can add accessories to the image that is being generated.

In terms of style, you can choose either animation or sketch. The latter produces more of a drawing. Another advantage is that you can copy the image and paste it into a note or into an email.

What about copyright-protected images, like that of Mickey Mouse? You can’t and we got the error: “Unable to use that description.”