Very early this morning Tim Cook and Co announced a whole bunch of updates to your favourite Apple products, including the iPhone and iOS 18.
For the upcoming iOS 18, the Cupertino company released updates to your favourite Apple apps but the most interesting updates were centred around Apple’s new AI features from Apple Intelligence.
Here are all the new iOS 18 updates coming to your iPhone.
iOS 18 Features
Apple Intelligence
Let’s jump straight into the most interesting thing about the iOS update (and the entire WWDC, for that matter), Apple Intelligence. Apple announced a suite of new AI enhancements and features for your iPhone that are all about making life easier for you.
Some of these include:
- Genmojis: AI generated emojis by Apple Intelligence
- Image Playground app: An app where you can create AI images
- Photos app: ability to clean up background noise with AI
- Image Wand tool: In the notes app, create a sketch and the Image Wand will turn it into an AI image
- Record and transcribe audio in the notes app and summarise key points at a glance
- Record in the phone app with transcriptions
Not all of these features will be available when iOS 18 is available but we will keep you in the loop.
Read more about the new Apple Intelligence here.
Customisable Home Screen
iPhone users have new ways to customise the Home Screen, Lock Screen, and Control Centre. You can now arrange apps and widgets in any open space on the Home Screen, you can also change the colours of the apps making them mirror your dark mode or have them in a similar hue.
Control Centre now gives users a quick access to new groups of a user’s most-utilised controls, such as media playback, Home controls, and connectivity, as well as the ability to easily swipe between each. You can also replace the camera and torch button on your home screen with other apps.
App icons and their widgets are “one and the same” and can be resized on the fly within the context menu. pic.twitter.com/AYFZ3iAU7o
— Greg Sarafian (@GregSarafian) June 10, 2024
Users can now add controls from supported third-party apps into Control Centre so you could add Spotify or Instagram rather than an unused Apple app.
For the first time, users can now switch the controls at the bottom of the Lock Screen, including choosing from options available in the controls gallery or removing them entirely. With the Action button available on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, users can quickly invoke controls available in the gallery.
New Photos update
Your photos app in iOS 18 is getting a makeover with Apple calling this the biggest redesign to its photos app to help users find images quicker. Apple has put all your images into one page, the grid at the top and albums below. It also has a new carousel view showing highlights and featuring your favourite places, people etc.
You can filter out screenshots too, making your photos look more aesthetically pleasing. You can also now see a trip, which is a collection of photos from, you guessed it, a recent holiday.
iMessage
You can now schedule messages in iMessage and send more than just a love heart or !! on iMessage, you can now react with emojis.
iMessage receives all-new text effects that bring conversations to life by amplifying any letter, word, phrase, or emoji with dynamic, animated appearances. Users can better express tone by adding formatting like bold, underline, italics, and strikethrough.
The most underrated iOS 18 feature #WWDC #WWDC24 pic.twitter.com/OmCtDqqvi4
— Stefan Hiienurm (@shiienurm) June 10, 2024
When messaging contacts who do not have an Apple device, the Messages app now supports RCS for richer media and more reliable group messaging compared to SMS and MMS. iOS 18 introduces Messages via satellite for the times when cellular and Wi-Fi connections aren’t available.
New Password App
Finally, Apple is getting a new Password App! According to Apple, the new Passwords app makes it easy for users to access their passwords, passkeys, Wi-Fi passwords, and verification codes. The app also includes alerts for users regarding common weaknesses, such as passwords that are easily guessed or used multiple times and those that appear in known data leaks.
Mail updates
On-device categorisation organises and sorts incoming emails into Primary for personal and time-sensitive emails, transactions for confirmations and receipts, updates for news and social notifications, and promotions for marketing emails and coupons. Mail also features a new digest view that pulls together all of the relevant emails from a business, allowing users to quickly scan for what’s important in the moment.
Hide and lock apps
Users are now able to lock and hide apps they don’t want others to see. Users can also hide notifications too from certain apps. Users can hide an app, moving it to a locked, hidden apps folder. When an app is locked or hidden, content like messages or emails inside the app are hidden from search, notifications, and other places across the system.
Wallet
Users can now send cash to each other, another feature to help people go cashless. Whether or not this will be available in Australia is yet to be determined. Tickets are also getting an update and looking more colourful, and you can now see venue maps on the ticket, making it easier for you to find your seat.
Other new features
- Game Mode enhances the gaming experience with more consistent frame rates, especially during long play sessions, and makes wireless accessories like AirPods and game controllers incredibly responsive.
- SharePlay with Apple Music allows even more users to share control of music playing from HomePod, Apple TV, or any Bluetooth-enabled speaker, making listening together more fun and engaging.
- AirPods Pro (2nd generation) users can now simply nod their head yes or gently shake their head no to respond to Siri announcements. For even clearer call quality, Voice Isolation comes to AirPods Pro, ensuring the caller’s voice is heard in loud or windy environments
- In the Notes app, formulas and equations entered while typing are solved instantly with Math Notes. New collapsible sections and highlighting make it easier to emphasise what’s important.
In Journal, an all-new insights view helps users keep track of their journaling goals, and users have the ability to search and sort entries. - Calendar shows both events and tasks from Reminders. Users can create, edit, and complete reminders right from Calendar, and the updated month view provides an overview of events and tasks at a glance.
- In the Health app, Medical ID has been redesigned to make it even easier for first responders to find the most important information in an emergency.
- Emergency SOS Live Video allows users to share context through streaming video and recorded media.
The Home app introduces guest access, providing users with easy ways to grant guests control of select smart home accessories, set schedules for when guests can access the home, and more. - Accessibility updates include Eye Tracking, a built-in option for navigating iPhone with just eyes; Music Haptics, a new way for users who are deaf or hard of hearing to experience music using the Taptic Engine in iPhone; and Vocal Shortcuts that enable users to perform tasks by making a custom sound.
iOS 18 Release Date
iOS 18 will be available sometime in September, usually around the iPhone 16 launch.
iOS 18 Compatible Devices
So will your phone be able to get iOS 18? If you have these devices, you’re all gravy for the next Apple software update.
iPhone 15
iPhone 15 Plus
iPhone 15 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPhone 14
iPhone 14 Plus
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro Max
iPhone 13
iPhone 13 mini
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 13 Pro Max
iPhone 12
iPhone 12 mini
iPhone 12 Pro
iPhone 12 Pro Max
iPhone 11
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone XS
iPhone XS Max
iPhone XR
iPhone SE
(2nd generation or later)
How Do i Get the iOS 18 Beta?
If you have the above compatible device, you can sign up to the iOS beta program on Apple here.
Read about all the 2024 WWDC updates here.
Image: Apple