Apple has officially launched the new iOS 18, the next version of the operating system, with a number of interesting features mainly focused on personalization, productivity, and user level privacy. To that end, there have been changes in the Home Screen, Control Center, Photos, Messages, and Mail, as well as some new AI-based tools developed in the Apple Intelligence system. Let’s see what iOS 18 has in store.
Enhanced customization options for home screen and control center
iOS 18 makes the home screen more fluid, allowing customization of app icons and widgets using new layout options. Users can set up apps and widgets in ways that match their wallpapers, and the screen can be themed as light, dark, or tinted. App icons can also become bigger for a cleaner look.
Even the control center has been redesigned to add organizational improvements in media, Home automations, and third-party apps. Users can now easily access favorite controls, which they can then use to adjust or remove directly from the Lock Screen.
Photos app overhaul: Improved navigation and personalization
The Photos app is, of course getting a major overhauling and sports new features that make it that much easier for users to manage their libraries. Collections of “Recent Days,” “People & Pets,” and “Trips” will be automatically generated based on on-device intelligence and placed into logical groups. Users can pick the layout of the app, allowing them to emphasize important albums and memories and find their way through their growing library of photos.
Messages and Mail: More ways to connect and stay organized
The new Messages feature in iOS 18 brings just a few more functionalities that enhance communication. Now, the user can format the text with bold, italics, underlined, and strikethrough, making the conversation interesting and not so one-dimensional. More importantly, emoji reactions, text effects, and Tapbacks open up channels of communication meant to unfold the moods of the users. The flexibility offered for scheduling a message for a specific delivery date is yet another much-needed flair.
In addition, iOS 18 also supports satellite messaging during periods when the cellular and Wi-Fi connection may not be available. It also supports RCS, or Rich Communication Services, that makes the whole experience with contacts who do not use an Apple device much richer.
Mail, in particular, now becomes better sorted and also categorized to distinguish between primary, transactional, and promotional types of emails. In this regard, the feature allows the users to manage their e-mail inbox more effectively and to see all kinds of important messages while keeping all the promotional stuff organized.
Apple Intelligence: Personalized AI tools with privacy at the core
Apple Intelligence will be available on the iPhone running on iOS 18 by next month, with an update that is specifically designed to deliver personalized assistance through generative AI models. The system has been fully integrated with iOS 18 and includes features such as automatic summarization of text, enhancement of photos, and cross-application personalized recommendation. “This intelligence is mostly kept on-device, because we stay committed to preserving privacy,” claims Apple.
In the meantime, here’s why Apple Intelligence got delayed. Make sure to check out the coverage.
Enhanced privacy and security
iOS 18 gives users control over more privacy features, including the ability to lock and hide apps. This feature now means users will have greater dominance over what is in the contents of an app and what is in notifications sent so that sensitive information cannot be exposed. The updates also provide users with better control over which third-party applications may use their contacts, making it much safer while operating within third-party applications.
In addition to this, Private Cloud Compute extends the privacy-focus approach introduced by Apple with the ability to run some AI models safely inside the cloud.
Safari, Phone, and Passwords: Productivity powerhouses
Safari has now equipped itself with Safari Highlights. This now shows the more important details of a webpage right after the webpage is loaded. Enhanced Reader will also pop up to let users read articles without the disturbances or intrusive elements of the webpage.
The Phone app also boasts some serious upgrades, like recording and transcribing live calls. Transcripts are directly saved in the Notes application, hence making it pretty easy to access major discussions at a later time. Any participant in the call will always be warned before recording begins, keeping everything transparent.
In addition, Apple has developed an app that simplifies the management of passwords. Credentials, such as passwords, passcodes, and verification codes, can be placed safely in one location, and then synchronized across devices, encrypted end-to-end for security.
Siri, Maps, and more: Enhancing everyday use
Siri also has become smarter, with richer understanding of language and a new glowing light design. Users can now seamlessly switch between voice and text as Siri picks up on the conversation, contextually aware.
Meanwhile, Maps now provide a new Places Library that helps users save and organize routes they create, complete with offline capabilities for outdoor travelers
iOS 18 also brings updates on Health, Journal, AirPods, and more, focusing on accessibility and wellness features. From tracking fitness goals to a new way of interacting hands-free with AirPods or anything else, iOS 18 makes any task just easier and more fun.
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Availability
iOS 18 is free and now available to download for iPhone Xs and later. Learn more. Availability Some features may not be available in all regions or languages, or on all iPhone models. For more information about iOS 18 feature availability, visit apple.com/ios/feature-availability.
iOS 18 compatible devices
- Phone 16
- iPhone 16 Plus
- iPhone 16 Pro
- iPhone 16 Pro Max
- 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)