Today, Apple gave a first peek at iOS 18, a big update that improves the iPhone user experience tremendously with a number of new features and improvements. With this update, there are more customization possibilities than ever before, along with the largest makeover of the Photos app, new Mail features for email management, and creative Messages-based ways to stay in touch. In addition to customizing the buttons at the bottom of the Lock Screen and accessing more options in the revamped Control Center, users may now arrange apps and widgets in any available space on the Home Screen. Favorites are now easily accessible with the help of useful new collections, and photo libraries are now automatically arranged in a new, unified layout. Mail makes managing an inbox easier by categorizing emails using on-device intelligence and brand-new text effects come to iMessage. Leveraging the same groundbreaking technology as existing iPhone satellite capabilities, users can now communicate over satellite in the Messages app when cellular or Wi-Fi connections aren’t available
iOS 18 also introduces Apple Intelligence, a personal intelligence system for iPhone, iPad, and Mac that combines the power of generative models with personal context to deliver incredibly useful and relevant intelligence. Built with privacy at its core, Apple Intelligence is deeply integrated into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. It harnesses the power of Apple silicon to understand and create language and images, take action across apps, and draw from personal context to simplify and accelerate everyday tasks. Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, expressed excitement over iOS 18, highlighting its new levels of customization and capability, the redesigned Photos app, and the powerful ways to stay connected with Messages. He emphasized the transformative potential of Apple Intelligence in delivering intuitive, powerful, and instantly useful experiences that will redefine the iPhone experience.
Control Center has been redesigned to provide easier access to frequently used controls and offers new levels of customization and flexibility. Users can quickly access media playback, Home controls, connectivity options, and more, and can easily swipe between different groups of controls. The new controls gallery displays all available options, allowing users to customize the layout and size of controls and create entirely new groups. Additionally, users can now switch the controls at the bottom of the Lock Screen, choosing from various options in the controls gallery or removing them entirely. The Action button on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max further enhances this customization by allowing quick access to specific controls.
Photos receives its most significant redesign ever, with a simplified, single view that displays a familiar grid and new collections to help users browse by themes without organizing content into albums. Collections can be pinned to keep favorites easily accessible, and a new carousel view presents daily highlights featuring favorite people, pets, places, and more. Autoplaying content throughout the app brings libraries to life, making it easier to enjoy past moments while browsing. The app is also customizable, allowing users to organize collections, pin frequently accessed collections, and include important items in the carousel view.
Messages in iOS 18 introduces dynamic, animated text effects that can be applied to any letter, word, phrase, or emoji, bringing conversations to life. Users can better express tone by adding formatting options like bold, underline, italics, and strikethrough. Tapbacks now include any emoji or sticker, and users can schedule messages to be sent at a later time. The Messages app now supports RCS for richer media and more reliable group messaging with non-Apple devices. Messages via satellite enables users to communicate when cellular and Wi-Fi connections are unavailable, using the same technology as existing iPhone satellite capabilities. iMessages sent via satellite are end-to-end encrypted, ensuring privacy.
Mail will introduce new inbox management features later this year, with on-device categorization sorting incoming emails into Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions. A new digest view compiles relevant emails from a business, making it easier to scan for important information. Safari now includes a Highlights feature, which surfaces key information from webpages, and a redesigned Reader experience that includes summaries and tables of contents for longer articles. The new Passwords app builds on Keychain’s foundation, providing a central place for passwords, passkeys, Wi-Fi passwords, and verification codes. The app also alerts users to common password weaknesses and known data leaks.
iOS 18 gives users more control over privacy with tools to manage app visibility, contact sharing, and accessory connections. Locked and hidden apps ensure private information remains unseen, and users can lock or hide apps using Face ID, Touch ID, or a device passcode. Users can choose to share specific contacts with an app and seamlessly connect third-party accessories without exposing other devices on their network. Apple Intelligence enhances communication with new Writing Tools that allow users to rewrite, proofread, and summarize text across various apps. Image Playground offers new image creation capabilities, and Memories in Photos can create personalized stories based on user descriptions. Siri becomes more natural and contextually relevant, and Private Cloud Compute ensures user data privacy while leveraging AI capabilities.
