Apple’s iOS18 update, released at Monday’s Worldwide Developers Conference, is one of the most significant iOS updates in years.

From long-awaited features like RCS support in Messages to a revamp of the Photos app, there’s a lot of new stuff for both consumers and developers.

Your iPhone will also become more configurable, with a more personalized home screen layout, improved Control Center navigation, and changes to important apps such as Messages and Mail.

According to Apple, the release includes all-new customization options, the most extensive overhaul of Photos, strong upgrades for staying connected, and Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence platform.

Users will be able to organize apps and widgets in any available space on the Home Screen, personalize the buttons at the bottom of the Lock Screen, and instantly access additional options in Control Center.

Photos automatically organizes photo libraries into a new single view, and useful new collections make favorites easily accessible. Mail streamlines the inbox by categorizing emails using on-device intelligence, and iMessage now includes all-new text effects.

Users may now converse over satellite in the Messages app when a cellular or Wi-Fi connection is unavailable, thanks to the same revolutionary technology that powers existing iPhone satellite features.

iOS 18 also offers Apple Intelligence, a personal intelligence system for iPhone, iPad, and Mac that blends the power of generative models with personal context to provide extremely valuable and relevant intelligence.

iOS 18 Update

Apple excited to release iOS18 Update

Apple Intelligence is extensively embedded into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, having been designed with privacy in mind from the start. It uses the power of Apple silicon to comprehend and produce language and graphics, take action across apps, and rely on personal context to simplify and accelerate daily chores.

“They are excited to release iOS 18. It’s a massive update with fantastic features including new levels of customization and capabilities, a redesigned Photos app, and strong ways to stay connected via Messages.

“There are numerous advantages for everyone,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering. “This release also heralds the start of a wonderfully exciting new era of personal intelligence, with Apple Intelligence delivering intuitive, powerful, and immediately helpful experiences that will alter the iPhone experience, all with privacy at the forefront. “We can’t wait for users to try it.”

iPhone users now have new ways to customize their Home Screen, Lock Screen, and Control Center. Users may now position apps and widgets in any vacant location on the Home Screen, such as just above the dock for quick access or neatly framing a wallpaper.

App icons and widgets can take on a new look with a dark or tinted effect, and users can make them appear larger to create the ideal experience for them.

Control Center has been revamped to make it easier to access many of the tasks that users perform on a daily basis, and it now offers new levels of customization and flexibility.

The redesign provides easy access to new categories of a user’s most frequently used features, such as media playback, Home controls, and connectivity, as well as the option to swiftly switch between them.

Users can now add controls from compatible third-party apps to Control Center, allowing them to easily unlock a vehicle or capture content for social media from one spot.

The new controls gallery shows the whole collection of available options, and users may change how the controls are laid up, such as changing them to the right size or establishing new groups.

Users can now switch the controls at the bottom of the Lock Screen, including selecting options from the controls gallery or completely eliminating them. The Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max allows users to swiftly summon controls from the gallery.

Photos now offers a unified view, new collections, and customization

Photos gets its most extensive revamp yet, making it easier for users to search and relive memorable memories. A simplified, single view presents a familiar grid, and new collections allow users to browse content by theme rather than organizing it into albums.

Furthermore, collections can be pinned to make favorites easily accessible. A new carousel view shows highlights that change daily and include favorite people, pets, places, and more. Autoplaying material throughout the app brings libraries to life, allowing users to revisit prior moments while exploring.

Because each user’s photo library is unique, the app is configurable, allowing users to arrange collections, bookmark collections for quick access, and highlight what’s most important to them in the carousel view.

iOS 18 Update

Powerful Methods to Stay Connected in Messages

iMessage now includes all-new text effects that bring conversations to life by enhancing any letter, word, phrase, or emoji with dynamic, animated looks.

Users can better communicate their tone by using formatting such as bold, underline, italics, and strikethrough. Tapbacks now contain any emoji or sticker, and users may compose a message and schedule it for later delivery.

When messaging contacts who do not have an Apple device, the Messages app now supports RCS, which provides richer media and more dependable group communications than SMS and MMS.

iOS 18 adds Messages over satellite for use when cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity are unavailable. Messages via satellite, which uses the same breakthrough technology as existing iPhone satellite capabilities, instantly prompts users to connect to their nearest satellite immediately from the Messages app in order to send and receive messages, emoji, and Tapbacks over iMessage or SMS.

Dynamic Island lets consumers know when they are connected to a satellite. Because iMessage was designed to protect user privacy, iMessages sent via satellite are end-to-end encrypted.

Enhancements to Mail

Later this year, Mail will launch new features to help customers manage their inbox and stay current. On-device categorization analyzes and arranges incoming emails into four categories: primary (personal and time-sensitive), transactions (confirmations and receipts), updates (news and social notifications), and promotions (marketing emails and coupons).

Mail also has a new digest view, which gathers all relevant emails from a business and allows users to rapidly check for what’s important at the time.

Safari receives major updates

Safari, the world’s fastest browser4, now makes it even easier to find information on the web with Highlights and a revamped Reader experience. Safari uses machine learning to expose important information about a webpage.

Users can, for example, read a synopsis to grasp the core of an article; easily locate a restaurant, hotel, or landmark; or listen to an artist’s track directly from an article on the song or album.

Reader has been revamped to provide even more distraction-free reading experiences, including a synopsis and table of contents for lengthier articles.

Introducing the Passwords app

The new Passwords app, built on the foundation of Keychain, which was introduced more than 25 years ago, allows users to easily access their passwords, passkeys, Wi-Fi passwords, and verification codes.

The software also warns users about common security flaws, such as passwords that are readily guessable or used multiple times, as well as those that appear in known data breaches.

New privacy features intended to empower users

iOS 18 provides consumers with further control over who may see their apps, how contacts are shared, and how their iPhone connects to accessories.

Locked and hidden apps give users peace of mind that information they want to keep private, such as app notifications and content, will not be accidentally viewed by others.

Users can now lock an app and hide it for added privacy by adding it to a locked, hidden apps folder. When an app is closed or hidden, content within the app, such as messages or emails, is concealed from search, alerts, and other areas of the system.

iOS 18 gives users more flexibility by allowing them to share only selected contacts with an app. Furthermore, developers may now link third-party accessories to iPhone without allowing an app to see all of the other devices on a user’s network, ensuring that a user’s gadgets remain private while pairing is smooth.

iOS 18 Update

Apple Intelligence Transforms the iPhone Experience

Apple Intelligence, which is deeply integrated into iOS 18 and created with privacy in mind, enables users to improve their writing and communicate more effectively.

iOS 18 has brand-new systemwide Writing Tools that allow users to rewrite, proofread, and summarize text almost anywhere they write, including Mail, Notes, Pages, and third-party apps.

New image capabilities make conversation and self-expression even more enjoyable. Image Playground allows users to create playful graphics in seconds by selecting from three styles: animation, illustration, or sketch. Image Playground is simple to use and comes pre-installed in apps like Messages as well as a separate app.

Memories in Photos allows people to create the stories they wish to see by simply adding a description. Apple Intelligence will select the finest photographs and videos based on the description, create a screenplay with chapters based on themes discovered in the photos, and organize them into a movie with a distinct narrative arc.

In addition, a new Clean Up tool can detect and eliminate distracting elements from a photo’s background without mistakenly changing the subject.

Siri advances significantly thanks to Apple Intelligence, becoming more natural, contextually relevant, and personalized. Users can type to Siri and switch between text and voice to connect with her in the method that feels most natural for the moment.

Apple’s Private Cloud Compute sets a new standard for AI privacy by allowing users to flex and scale computing power between on-device processing and bigger, server-based models that operate on dedicated Apple silicon servers. When queries are sent to Private Cloud Compute, data is not retained or made available to Apple; it is only utilized to satisfy the user’s requests, and independent experts can confirm this privacy.

Furthermore, ChatGPT is incorporated into Siri and system-wide Writing Tools across Apple’s platforms, allowing users to utilize its knowledge as well as image and document interpretation capabilities without having to switch between tools.
Additional features of iOS 18 include:

Users of Apple Maps can browse hundreds of hikes across national parks in the United States and quickly design their own unique walking itineraries that they can access offline. Maps users may also store their favorite national park treks, custom walking routes, and destinations to an all-new Places Library, where they can leave unique notes about each spot.

Game Mode improves the gaming experience by providing more consistent frame rates, particularly during extended play sessions, and making wireless peripherals such as AirPods and game controllers more responsive.

Users get new ways to pay with Apple Pay, including the ability to redeem rewards and access installments from their eligible credit or debit cards.5 With Tap to Cash, users can send and receive Apple Cash by simply holding two iPhone devices together.6 Tickets in Apple Wallet provide fans with a richer experience, putting key event information like stadium details, recommended Apple Music playlists, and more at their fingertips.7

SharePlay with Apple Music enables even more users to control music playing from HomePod, Apple TV, or any Bluetooth-enabled speaker, making listening together more enjoyable and engaging.

Siri Interactions make the AirPods experience even more personal, private, and convenient, allowing AirPods Pro (2nd generation) owners to answer to Siri announcements by just nodding yes or softly shaking their head no. Voice Isolation is added to AirPods Pro for even better call quality, ensuring that the caller’s voice is heard even in noisy or windy surroundings.

The latest AirPods updates also include the best wireless audio latency Apple has ever provided for mobile gaming, as well as Personalized Spatial Audio for even more immersive gameplay.

Math Notes automatically solves formulas and equations typed into the Notes app. New collapsible sections and highlighting make it easier to highlight what is important.

In Journal, an all-new insights view helps users stay on track with their writing goals, and the ability to search and categorize entries makes it simple to revisit past recollections. Time spent journaling can be logged as mindful minutes in the Health app, and users can log their mental condition directly in Journal. Users may now start an entry fast from the Home Screen or Lock Screen by using the Journal widget, audio recordings are automatically transcribed, and journal entries can be exported and printed.

The Calendar becomes even more useful by displaying both events and tasks from Reminders. Users can create, amend, and finish reminders directly from Calendar, and the new month view displays an overview of events and tasks at a glance.

Medical ID has been revamped in the Health app to help first responders find the most important information in an emergency. The Health app can help users better understand their data during pregnancy by making adjustments and recommendations based on changes in their physical and mental health.

Emergency SOS Live Video enables users to communicate context using both streaming video and recorded material. During an emergency call, participating emergency dispatchers can request that a user transmit live video or media from their camera roll via a secure connection, making it easier and faster to seek aid.

The Home app includes guest access, allowing users to easily grant guests power over chosen smart home accessories, set timetables for when guests can access the home, and more. Hands-free unlock with home keys provides a seamless home entry experience by utilizing Ultra Wideband technology to quickly open supported entry locks as soon as users are six feet away from their door. The Home app’s handy changes to the Energy category make it easier for qualified customers to access, understand, and make better educated decisions regarding their home electricity usage.

Accessibility updates include Eye Tracking, a built-in option for navigating iPhone with just your eyes; Music Haptics, a new way for deaf or hard-of-hearing users to experience music using the Taptic Engine in iPhone; and Vocal Shortcuts, which allow users to perform tasks by creating a custom sound.

Source: Apple Inc