By Joe Rossignol
The release of iOS 18 is right around the corner, and Apple is set to unveil the software update during its WWDC keynote next month. Below we list the new features and changes rumored to be coming to iOS 18, which is predicted to be the “biggest” update in iPhone history.
iOS 18 is rumored to include new AI features for Siri and many apps, and Apple plans to add RCS support to the Messages app to improve text messaging between iPhone and Android devices. The update is also expected to bring a more customizable Home screen and other UI design changes, new features in apps like Apple Maps and Calculator, additional accessibility features, and more.
WWDC 2024 will kick off with Apple The keynote is June 10 at 10 a.m. PT, and the iOS 18 beta should be available to Apple Developer Program members immediately following the presentation. The public beta is typically released in July, with the update expected to be widely available to all users in September.
For more information, see our iOS 18 review.
Smart Siri and generative artificial intelligence
iOS 18 is rumored to have new artificial intelligence features for Siri, Spotlight, Shortcuts, Apple Music, Messages, Health, Numbers, Pages “, Keynote and much more. sources such as Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and The Information's Wayne Ma.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly teased that the company is working on generative artificial intelligence and plans to share details “later this year,” and Apple chief marketing officer Greg Joswiak also hinted at artificial intelligence in a social media post about WWDC 2024.
Generative AI exploded in popularity in late 2022 when OpenAI released ChatGPT, a chatbot that can answer questions and other text prompts. The company has also expanded into generative AI tools for images and video. Other companies such as Google and Microsoft have also entered the field of generative artificial intelligence, and the technology is developing rapidly.
iOS 18 is not expected to include an Apple-developed chatbot, but as a partnership with OpenAI will reportedly be announced at WWDC.
More customizable home screen
According to Gurman, iOS 18 will feature a “more customizable” Home screen.
MacRumors exclusively reported that iOS 18 will finally allow users to place app icons anywhere in the Home screen grid. This means that users will be able to create white spaces, columns and rows between app icons. This basic feature has long been available on Android smartphones, and now Apple is bringing it to the iPhone.
iPhone users can already customize their home screen with apps like Shortcuts and Widgetsmith, which can be used to create “blank” screens. app icons and widgets, but Apple's official solution will be much more convenient.
It was also reported that iOS 18 will allow users to change the color of app icons.
New accessibility features
Earlier this month, Apple announced a slew of new accessibility features coming later this year along with software updates like iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, and VisionOS 2. The announcement came a day before World Accessibility Awareness Day.
Some of the new iPhone features include eye tracking, vehicle motion alerts, music haptics, and voice commands. In iOS 18, CarPlay will also gain more accessibility features, including audio recognition, which will allow drivers or passengers who are deaf or hard of hearing to turn on alerts to be notified of car horns and sirens.
New Apple Maps features
MacRumors previously revealed two potential new Apple Maps features coming to iOS 18: custom directions and topographic maps.
With the custom routes feature, Apple Maps users will be able to select specific roads to travel while navigating for reasons like familiarity or scenic views. The feature is expected to be available in the U.S. only at launch. Google Maps already allows users to create custom routes online and then view them on iPhone.
Topographic maps first debuted on Apple Watch last year with watchOS 10, and code suggests the feature will be expanded to iPhone, Mac, and Vision Pro with iOS 18, macOS 15, and VisionOS 2. These maps include details like trails. , contour lines, elevation, and landmarks for hiking and other outdoor uses.
RCS support in the Messages app
In November, Apple announced that it would support the RCS cross-platform messaging standard in the Messages app on iPhone starting “later” in 2024, so it will likely be a feature of iOS 18 sometime in that timeframe.
RCS support should result in the following improvements to the standard messaging experience between iPhone and Android devices:
- Higher-resolution photos and videos
- Audio messages
- Typing indicators
- Read receipts
- Messages over Wi-Fi
- Improved group chats, including the ability for iPhone users to leave a conversation in which Android users are participating
These features are already available for iMessage and in many third-party messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram. RCS support on iPhone will extend the app's capabilities to green bubbles in the Messages app.
More rumors about each app
- Apple Music:Apple Music will reportedly be able to automatically create playlists in iOS 18, and there are also rumors of smarter transitions between songs.
- Calculator:iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15 are rumored to feature a revamped Calculator app with several new features, including a sidebar with a list of recent calculations, an improved unit conversion interface, integration with the Notes app, and more. This means that the Calculator app will finally be available on iPad.
- Calendar iOS 18 is rumored to feature two apps: Calendar and Reminders. This will allow users to schedule and organize reminders directly in the Calendar app, without having to open the Reminders app.
- Freeform iOS 18 is rumored to feature new “Scenes,” a variant of Apple’s Freeform drawing app. The feature will allow users to select specific sections (“scenes”) on the canvas for easier navigation.
- Health:Apple is reportedly planning new AI-powered features for its Health app, but specific details are not yet available.
- Keynote, Numbers, and Pages:Along with iOS 18, Apple is reportedly planning to update its suite of iWork productivity apps with new generative AI features for automatic slide creation in Keynote, faster writing in Pages, and more.
- Mail , photography, and fitness:These apps are said to be getting a “overhaul” in iOS 18. Artificial intelligence photo retouching is said to be coming to the Photos app with iOS 18, and the Mail app may receive suggested replies to emails, but other specific details about these apps are not yet known. .
- Messages In addition to RCS support, rumor has it that the Messages app will use generative AI to more efficiently auto-complete sentences and automatically generate custom emojis. for users based on the content of messages.
- Notes and Voice Memos In iOS 18, the Notes app is expected to be able to display math notation, allowing users to add more types of algebraic equations and formulas in notes. Rumor has it that the app will also get a built-in audio recording tool, eliminating the need to switch to the Voice Recorder app. Additionally, both Notes and Voice Memos will be able to transcribe audio.
- Safari: iOS 18 will likely add a browsing assistant to Safari that can summarize the web -pages and more. There are rumors of a new “Web Eraser” feature that will allow users to remove certain elements from web pages.
- Shortcuts: iOS 18 will reportedly allow users to automate complex tasks more easily done using the Shortcuts app.
Although these are not dedicated apps, generative AI technology is rumored to enable the iPhone's virtual assistant Siri and the built-in Spotlight search tool. to answer more complex questions and search queries.
Related review: iOS 18 [61 comments]
