But it’s not all AI. Many other aspects of iOS are being reimagined and revamped.
Like any normal software update, this would have been perfectly doable.
iOS 18 has been released, bringing a host of new features, revamped core iOS apps, improved privacy, security, customizability, and last but not least, the addition of artificial intelligence.
Apple Intelligence and Improved Siri
But the bulk of the new features are in the most logical place: Siri.
The voice assistant has been significantly redesigned: Gone is the globe icon at the bottom of the screen, and Siri now appears as a flashing outline on the screen for a less intrusive look. The underlying architecture and basic functionality of Siri has also been redesigned.
However, the new Siri will only work on iPhone 15 and newer as most of the functionality is handled on-device, which seems like a pretty taxing scenario for older iPhones that support iOS 18.
The voice assistant can now perform a variety of tasks within apps, including complex multi-step queries. For example, you can ask Siri to find all photos of your child wearing a blue jacket and text them to a loved one without any user interaction. Apple said Siri has gained a host of new app intents, giving it even more control within standard Apple apps, while APIs allow developers to unlock the potential of an AI-powered Siri.
Siri also has a more natural voice, making conversation feel more natural, and you can now type to Siri by double-tapping the app handle switch at the bottom of the lock screen.
Apple is also bringing a new image generator tool in iOS 18, available as part of the Messages app or as a standalone app. It’s not all Siri, though: Apple has partnered with OpenAI to bring the ubiquitous ChatGPT to iPhones, with the latter deeply integrating with Siri and allowing it to leverage ChatGPT’s knowledge and advanced understanding to perform more complex tasks.
What’s new in iOS 18?
After years of user requests, Apple has finally added freely movable iOS icons to the home screen. Apps and folders still adhere to the underlying grid, but you can place them wherever you like, giving you more customization options. Not only that, but when you enable dark mode on your device, icons will automatically be tinted with a dark background to better fit your device’s overall theme.
The new customization sheet also lets you tint app icons any color you like, though to be honest, the feature didn’t look nearly as good as it did when it was demoed onstage.
iOS 18 will allow even more customization than iOS 18
iOS 18 also comes with a redesigned Control Center that takes cues from Vision OS when it comes to the overall look. Control Center is split into multiple pages. The main screen shows the general controls for your phone, and swiping down reveals the media controls, which have large album art and controls, as well as AirPlay controls. Swipe down again to reveal the Apple Home controls. Each toggle can be customized in size, as can widgets.
The new Control Center in iOS 18
Not only that, but Control Center will also get custom toggles from third-party app developers thanks to a new Control API — for example, you can add a specific toggle for heating or cooling your Tesla without having to open a dedicated app.
Speaking of privacy, iOS 18 finally lets you use Face ID to lock any app on your phone so you can hand it over to someone else to prevent them from snooping. Not only that, but you can also hide apps so they don’t show up in search results, notifications, Siri suggestions, and Spotlight suggestions.
Other iOS staples like Messages and Mail are also gaining popularity. Messages, in particular, is revamping its tapbacks (reactions you can apply to incoming messages) with colorful icons. You can also react with any emoji. Messages also gets the ability to schedule texts to be sent at pre-specified times.
There are cool new effects that can present your messages in a better way. Apple has added many more formatting options to Messages, including strikethrough and underlined text.
Oh, and one big takeaway for iPhone 14 and newer users is that you’ll be able to send messages via satellite.
iOS 18 adds even more text effects to the must-have Messages app
Mail, on the other hand, has a new look and feel and a new categorization feature that automatically categorizes incoming emails according to their content. Besides the primary tab, dedicated tabs for Promotions, Deals, and Renewals are also available by default. There is also a new view that makes it easier to see all messages from a selected sender.
With iOS 18, the iPhone gets a dedicated Game Mode for the Mac, aiming to minimize distractions: open a game and you won’t be bothered by app notifications. Of course, you can disable this feature.
The Photos app, one of the core elements of the operating system, has received a major revamped look.
iOS 18 release date
As with most major iOS updates in recent years, the software will be available as a developer beta shortly after the keynote, with a generally stable and bug-free public beta set to be released next month. Of course, iOS 18 will be coming to iPhones this fall with Apple’s iPhone 16 series.
iOS 18 Compatible Devices
Apple recently announced that iPhones will be supported for a minimum of five years, but newer iPhones typically have a longer support period. As you can see from the table below, Apple is likely to support the iPhone Xs family (iPhone Xs Max, iPhone Xs, iPhone XR) for at least another year, as these three models will receive iOS 18 support.
This means that no phones will be removed from the support list compared to iOS 17. However, as always, availability of new iOS 18 features may vary by device – newer models should support all features, while older models may have limited functionality. iPhone GenerationMarket Release DateiOS 18 SupportiPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16September 2024YesiPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15September 22, 2023 (8 months ago)YesiPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14September 16, 2022 (1 year 8 months ago)YesiPhone SE 3rd GenerationMarch 18, 2022 (2 years 3 months ago)YesiPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 miniSeptember 24, 2021 (2 years 8 months ago)YesiPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12, iPhone 12miniOctober 23, 2020 (3 years and 8 months ago) YesiPhone SE 2nd GenApril 24, 2020 (4 years and 2 months ago) YesiPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11September 20, 2019 (4 years and 8 months ago) YesiPhone Xs Max, Xs, iPhone XRSeptember 21, 2018 (5 years and 8 months ago) YesiPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone XSSeptember 22 – November 3, 2017 (6 years and 8/7 months ago) No
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