We’re just a few days away from the iOS 18 Announcement, which will be the biggest annual iPhone software upgrade from Apple for 2024. Significant new AI features, design modifications, and further custom choices are all planned. Here’s an overview of all the new iOS 18 features revealed so far.
What To Expect From iOS 18?
Bloomberg revealed in November that Apple paused work on new features for iOS 18 for one week to fix issues. Following the completion of the iOS 18 “first milestone” build, this was done. This year, Apple took a week-long delay to fix early bugs and issues instead of starting work on the second milestone right away as usual.
Regarding the new features and iOS 18 Release Date, this delay is not expected to have a major effect. Rather, Apple took an early break to ensure that iOS 18 is built upon a solid foundation.
iOS 18 Release Date
WWDC 2024, which takes place on June 10, will see the iOS 18 Announcement. The initial beta will be made available on June 10th, after Apple’s keynote event. In 2024, a public beta version is expected to be made available in July, with an official release scheduled for September.
The most current iOS release dates are listed below – iOS 18 Release Date:
- iOS 17: September 17, 2023
- iOS 16: September 12, 2022
- iOS 15: September 20, 2021
- iOS 14: September 16, 2020
- iOS 13: September 19, 2019Â
- iOS 12: September 17, 2018
iOS 18 Features
Revolutionary AI
The rapid emergence of AI tools like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Microsoft Copilot is said to have taken Apple “flat-footed.” It is said that the company is developing a wide range of new AI features for iOS that will be known as “Apple Intelligence” features.
Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, has stated that the company will release new AI features this year. Cook hinted that the business is devoting a “tremendous amount of time and effort” to artificial intelligence technologies and that it is “excited to share the details of our ongoing work in that space later this year” during Apple’s most recent earnings call.
Bloomberg reports that a large number of Apple’s AI capabilities are expected to be opt-in. According to a report by Mark Gurman, Apple “won’t make users adopt” these AI features if they so choose.
Bloomberg has covered Apple’s AI goals for iOS 18 in great detail. According to reports, Craig Federighi’s software team at Apple has “an edict” to pack iOS 18 “with features running on the company’s large language model.”
Key iOS 18 Features:
- An improved Siri that can leverage a new AI system that uses large language model technology and is better than the original. It is expected that a significant number of Siri’s improvements won’t be available until 2025.
- The Messages app has AI integration that enables it to “field questions and auto-complete sentences.”
- The ability to summarize emails, notifications, URLs in Safari, incoming messages, and more.
- Recommendations for “automatically create fully developed responses on the user’s behalf to emails and text messages.”
- Apple Music will soon include “auto-generated playlists” thanks to new AI technologies.
- Including generative AI in iWork apps like Pages and Keynote
- Integrating generative AI capabilities into Xcode to enable developers to “write new applications more quickly”
- The Photos app has some amazing new features that allow users to edit photos, remove objects and people out of them, and much more.
- Additional AI features for Voice Memos, such as audio file transcriptions that happen automatically.
- The ability to use AI to create unique emojis. With the help of this function, new emoji icons will appear that relate to the user’s text. According to Bloomberg, when a user inserts words into a text, the system can automatically update.
An OpenAI Partnership
Apple has reportedly signed a contract with OpenAI to enable some of the new AI features in iOS 18, according to reports from Bloomberg and The Information. Apple’s in-house ChatGPT-like chatbot is reportedly powered by the partnership with OpenAI.
We’re still awaiting further information on how this will work. Additionally, Apple is internally creating a large language model for a chatbot.
In iOS 17.4, 9to5Mac found evidence of Apple’s work on new AI and large language model technology. As we previously reported, Apple is using OpenAI’s ChatGPT API for internal testing to aid in the creation of its own AI models.
RCS support
In October, Apple surprised everyone by announcing that iPhones will feature RCS sometime in 2024. Rich Communication Services, or RCS, is what’s coming next after MMS and SMS. It will give texts between iPhone and Android users several iMessage-style capabilities.
RCS will enable features like typing indicators, reading receipts, and the ability to exchange high-quality photos and videos for use in conversations across iPhone and Android devices. In text conversations, individuals will now be able to communicate their location with other users. In contrast to standard SMS, RCS can be sent via Wi-Fi or mobile data.
According to Apple’s specific wording, RCS will be made available on the iPhone through a software update “later next year.” This seems to indicate that the functionality might be included as part of iOS 18.
New Passwords app
For the first time, a dedicated Passwords app will be available for iOS 18, macOS 15, and iPadOS 18. Following years in which Apple displayed passwords through the Settings app rather than a separate app, this new tool will make it easier for users to log in to websites and software.
All of Apple’s platforms, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro, will support the new Passwords app.
Messages Update
Apple has a few more significant updates for the Messages app in addition to the new AI features. First, Tapbacks will get improvements with iOS 18. Users will be allowed to respond with any emoji they desire, rather than being limited to the predefined set of six alternatives that are currently available (Love, Like, Dislike, Laugh, Emphasize, and Question).
Additionally, iOS 18 will enable scheduling messages for later delivery. This feature allows users to draft a message in Messages and schedule its actual delivery to the recipient for a later date.
New Customization options
Apple reportedly has further Home Screen upgrades in store for iOS 18, following the addition of Home Screen widgets with iOS 14 in 2020. Two reports state that iOS 18 will include additional Home Screen customization options for the iPhone.
Specifically, there are claims that Apple will allow users to arrange app icons on their Home Screen at will for the first time. This means that iPhone users will be able to separate widgets and app icons with space between them, thus escaping the Home Screen grid.
Customizing app icons is a significant improvement that will be added to the iOS 18 home screen. Bloomberg claims that with the help of this new feature, users will be able to change the color of app icons system-wide for the first time.
Apple Maps upgrades
With iOS 18, Apple Maps is expected to release a new tool for creating custom routes. With this revision, iPhone users won’t have to rely on Apple Maps’ recommended routes when planning a trip—they will be able to create their own custom routes.
With the iOS 18 upgrade, users will have total control over the specifics of their journey, even though Apple Maps now provides a variety of route options to your location.
Remodeling of the Settings app
Since 2007, the iPhone’s Settings app has mainly not changed. Lastly, it is said that an updated version of the Settings app for iPhone users would be included in iOS 18. It is said that the updated Settings app would have a better-organized layout and a better search function to make it easier to locate the settings you need.
Redesign of the Control Center
Bloomberg reports that iOS 18 will bring a redesigned Control Center to iPhone owners. A better music widget and improved HomeKit integration will be features of the new design. It’s additionally been reported that the new Control Center would be able to be divided into several pages.
At the moment, iOS “intelligently” chooses up to six accessories to show in the Control Center’s Home section. This automatically-managed structure often falls short of providing consumers with the exact controls they need. Although Bloomberg doesn’t go into depth about how iOS 18 will enhance Control Center’s HomeKit functionality, it is expected that one major focus would be on providing consumers with more options for customization.
iOS 18 Supported Device
Every year, one of the most significant queries is which devices will work with the latest version of iOS. Rumor has it that Apple has good news for iPhone customers this year (iOS 18 Announcement). An anonymous Twitter user claims that iOS 18 will work with every device that supports iOS 17 (iOS 18 Supported Device).
- iPhone 15 (Plus, Pro, and Pro Max)
- iPhone 14 (Plus, Pro, and Pro Max)
- iPhone 13 (Mini, Pro, and Pro Max)
- iPhone 12 (Plus, Pro, and Pro Max)
- iPhone 11 (Pro and Pro Max)
- iPhone XS (Max)
- iPhone XR
- iPhone SE (2nd generation)
- iPhone SE (3rd generation)
Conclusion
According to Bloomberg, Apple’s most “ambitious and compelling” update in years is iOS 18. Apple is said to be calling this update “groundbreaking,” with “major new iOS 18 features and designs, in addition to security and performance improvements.” There are rumors that Apple has discussed iOS 18 internally as possibly the “biggest” iOS upgrade ever. The update is reportedly working on much more than simply the new AI functions listed above (iOS 18 Announcement).
It’s important to keep in mind that between now and September, Apple might change its plans for iOS 18. Before the update is launched in September, Apple will finalize its plans for iOS 18 over the next three months, taking into account the current situation of work. Additionally, certain features might be announced at WWDC 2024 but not made released until years later through upgrades like iOS 18.1 and iOS 18.2.