Apple announced a major update to its iPhone operating system, iOS 18, at its annual developer conference today. The update brings a host of new features designed to personalize the user experience, enhance communication capabilities, and introduce a new level of intelligence on iPhones.
Key Highlights of iOS 18
- Enhanced Customization: Users can now personalize their Home Screen and Lock Screen with greater freedom. This includes arranging apps and widgets anywhere on the screen and customizing the buttons at the bottom of the Lock Screen. Control Center gets a revamp as well, offering easier access to frequently used controls and the ability to add controls from third-party apps.
- Photos Reinvented: The Photos app receives its biggest redesign ever, featuring a new single view that simplifies photo browsing. New collections allow users to group photos by themes without creating albums. Autoplaying content and a customizable carousel view bring photos to life and make it easier to revisit cherished memories.
- Smarter Messaging: iMessage gets a boost with new text effects that add dynamism to conversations. Users can also schedule messages and express themselves better with features like bold, underline, and italics formatting. For non-Apple users, Messages now supports RCS for richer media and improved group messaging. A groundbreaking new feature is Messages via satellite, allowing users to send and receive texts even in areas without cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity.
- Streamlined Mail: On-device categorization in Mail helps users organize their inbox more efficiently. A new digest view provides a quick summary of emails from specific businesses.
- Intelligent Assistant: Apple Intelligence, a new personal intelligence system, debuts with iOS 18. It leverages on-device processing and machine learning to offer assistance with writing, image creation, and a more natural Siri experience.
Additional Features
- Safari gets enhanced with Highlights, a feature that surfaces key information from webpages, and a redesigned Reader view for a more distraction-free reading experience.
- A new Passwords app helps users manage passwords, passkeys, Wi-Fi credentials, and verification codes securely.
- Privacy features are bolstered with the ability to lock and hide apps for increased security.
- Maps gets an update with new hiking features and a Places Library for storing favorite locations.
- Game Mode improves gaming performance and responsiveness for wireless accessories.
- Apple Pay introduces new features like redeeming rewards and accessing installments.
- AirPods experience becomes more personalized with features like Siri Interactions and Personalized Spatial Audio.
- Notes app gains Math Notes functionality and improved organization options.
- Health app offers a redesigned Medical ID and improved data tracking for pregnancy.
Availability
The developer beta of iOS 18 is available today, with a public beta following next month. The official release is scheduled for fall 2024 as a free software update for iPhone Xs and later models. Apple Intelligence will be available in beta on select iPhone and iPad models, as well as Macs with M1 chips and later.
This update marks a significant step forward for iPhones, empowering users with greater control over their devices and introducing a new era of intelligent assistance.