So, the next big software update for iPhones is here everyone, the iOS 18. In this article, I am going to tell you about the top features of iOS 18, when it coming, and all the iPhones that will be getting the latest software.
iOS 18 Overview
Now, I have to get it out of my system. With this year’s updates, I have started feeling like iOS is actually becoming more like Android. I mean, listening to some of the things that have changed. RCS messaging instead of SMS, customizable control center, home screen customization, widget customization, AI integration and so much more. And it is enough for me to get most convinced!
Personally, rather than the customization options, I am more excited to talk about all the AI features of the iOS 18, which I will get to towards the end of the video, so pls do stick till the end.
Features
A redesigned control center
Ok, first of all, the biggest change with the iOS 18 is the redesign of the control center. You will finally be able to access a wider number of options from the control center. You can also resize and change the layout of elements there. Moreover, if you want to add more controls, just long press like this and do it, or press the “+” icon on the top left. Easy!
And when you swipe up or down from the right like this, you can toggle between different tiles or pages too. You can also tap on the icon here like this or just drag your fingers with really cool animation and haptic feedback.
There is this little squeeze animation when you toggle the volume buttons too. It’s nothing major honestly, but looks cute and is a little interactive. You also get a similar animation when you take a screenshot too!
Home Screen Customizations
Then comes Home Screen customization and Apple finally lets you place an app wherever you like on your home screen. Not just that, you can customize a theme for your home screen too. Just long press on the screen like this, go to customization, and choose between the given options.
My favorite is the Tined option, that gives you sort of a monochrome vibe! So, overall, you are getting a lot more freedom than you ever had before with iOS 18.
Also, you can choose different shortcuts in the lock screen as well, in place of the usual camera and flash shortcuts. You cannot opt for any app though, there are a couple of options that Apple provides and choose between them only, for now.
Hide and Lock Apps
Next, you can finally Lock and Hide apps on your iPhone without having to turn to third-party app solutions just like on Android 15. You get the option to lock an app by setting authentication such as FaceID, Touch ID, or Passcode. You can also hide your top secret or private apps in a separate folder like this and again, it will require authentication to access those too.
And just like how it is on Android 15, these apps will not be visible in search or recent menus.
Besides that, one other privacy feature Apple has added is, giving users full control over which contacts third-party apps can access. Not all apps need all the contact information, so this way, you will be able to limit the access of your important contacts.
Some texting options
Okay next, messaging is going to be a lot more fun on iOS 18. First of all, you will be able to choose from a wide selection of emojis to react to iMessages. Previously, it was limited to a few options, but not anymore.
You also get a few text formatting options this time, like underlining certain text, or making them bold or italicized them and you can also add effects to the text to spice them up.
Satellite Messaging
Apple has also added a satellite messaging option that automatically prompts users to connect to their nearest satellite from the messaging app itself. And now, it not only supports text, but emojis too! But again, like the Emergency SOS feature, this one might not be available in all regions!
That being said, probably the most exciting is the ability to schedule messages. Again, this feature has been there on Android for a long time, just like most of Apple’s upgrades this year, but because my primary phone is an iPhone, it’s a little easier for me to schedule birthday messages for my friends and family. I always forget to wish them!!
RCS is finally coming!
And finally, finally, RCS is coming to messages with the new iOS 18. Oh, and now when you dial a number, you get related suggestions like this. You can also record your calls, and transcribe the audio to text while calling or recording an audio.
Changes on the Photo app
Moving on, the photos app is also getting a few changes here and there. You are getting a different layout first of all, with all your photo previews on the top while you can also access the library at the bottom, which is organized by theme.
Searching for specific images is also easier now, as the iOS 18 helps filter out specific types of photos easily. Screenshots for example can be filtered out like this or easier access.
Gaming mode?
Likewise, the gamers out there will be delighted to know that iPhones are getting a dedicated game mode. What it is going to do is, limit all the background activities so that you can play your games in an uninterrupted manner.
Right now, it is limited to one or two games only, but once developers optimize it for more and more apps, it is going to be a holy grail for gamers!
Eye Tracking
Apple has also introduced something called Eye Tracking which is primarily designed for people with physical disabilities. It’s similar to how Eye Tracking works on the Vision Pro, you just need to set it up from the accessibility settings and you can navigate different options by looking at them and you have to stare at a particular option to select them.
I tried it on my phone and yes, it does work, but not very well, it actually caused a lot of strain to my eyes.
Apple Intelligence
Now let’s talk about AI. And contrary to what we thought AI stands for, Artificial Intelligence, Apple has coined a totally different Full Form for it, for Apple, AI is Apple Intelligence!
But before that, you have to know that these AI features are going to be available for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max only because they come with the more advanced A17 Pro chip. These are free to use on these models though!
Genmoji
Anyway, one of my favorite AI features on iOS 18 is the ability to create your own emojis. Apple calls it Genmoji. You can generate emojis of your own choice while messaging within the messages app. For instance, I can create an emoji like a cat wearing a skirt and a hat.
What’s even more cool is that you can generate emojis that look like your friends based on the photos you have in your gallery like this. Group chats are going to get a lot more fun now!
On-device AI
And not just that, there is also an on-device text-to-image generator built into Messages on iOS 18. Here you will not even need to type a fully structured prompt, just add phrases to describe the image you want and it does the job for you.
Apple is calling it Image Playground and it will not only be dedicated to apps like messages, but Apple says they are developing a separate app for this too.
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Siri with AI
Also, Siri, my dear sister, has also gotten some AI capabilities. You can now give specific commands to Siri like open a document like Open “Windows Final Video” or show me a picture of me and my dog and she will do so! You can command Siri to flip the camera or edit a photo, anything! Siri is going to be able to understand and operate a lot of different commands with the new update!
Besides this, the bigger news is, you will now get Chat GPT built-in on iPhones based on the ChatGPT 4 model. It will be integrated with Siri where you can ask your questions and get answers. The good thing is, the data won’t be logged. And Siri will ask permission before sharing the questions or other information.
AI here, there, and everywhere
The photos app has gotten a little AI of its own too. For instance, you can prompt Siri to search through your library to find something very specific. For eg, like a photo of your cat drinking water or it could be something that happens in the middle of a video too. So, no more individually searching for photos or even videos!
Along with that, AI is going to be a big part of managing notifications as well. Apple says your iPhone will be able to sort the “most important” notifications at the top of your feed. And not just that, it will even include short summaries of other stacked notifications as you scroll down.
So, yeah, a lot of cool updates this time with the new iOS 18. And with the upcoming iPhone 16 launch in September, we can expect the new A18 Pro chipset to feature an even more powerful NPU for all the AI features. And since this is just the first beta release, we will be seeing more features and improvements too with the final release.
iOS 18 Launch and Availability
The iOS 18 officially rolled out on 16 September 2024 at 5 PM UTC, translating to 10:45 PM the same day for Nepali folks. That being said, all the iPhones launched in 2018 and later will be getting the software update. Let me list down all of them here:
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (Second Generation/2020)
- iPhone 12 Mini
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 13 Mini
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (Third Generation/2022)
- iPhone 14
- iPhone 14 Plus
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 15 Plus
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 16
- iPhone 16 Plus
- iPhone 16 Pro
- iPhone 16 Pro Max
You can opt to receive only the security patches on iOS 17.7 instead of iOS 18 too, which also launches on the same day. Furthermore, if you are looking forward to getting the shiny new Apple Intelligence, you will have to wait a little longer. The AI side of things will be baked into iOS 18.1, not on this version. Also, let me once again remind you that the Apple AI will only be available to iPhone 15 Pro phones and later due to hardware constraints.
Meanwhile, Check out our deepdive into iOS 18
