iOS 18 is now available globally with a range of new features and enhancements to iPhone users. Apple intelligence will launch next month.
Apple has released iOS 18 features, offering new ways to personalize iPhones with deeper Home Screen and Control Center customization, a redesigned Photos app, and major updates to Messages and Mail. Next month, Apple Intelligence will launch, combining generative models with personal context to deliver useful, privacy-focused intelligence.
Here’s what you need to know about the update and some top features of iOS 18:
More Powerful Than Ever
In iOS 18, users can personalize their Home Screen by arranging app icons and widgets around the wallpaper or creating the perfect layout for each page. Moreover, they can also adjust the appearance of app icons and widgets, choosing between light, dark, or colored tints, or even make app icons larger for a simpler look.
The redesigned Control Center is more flexible, allowing users to organize groups of controls like media playback, Home controls, and connectivity, along with new options from third-party apps. These controls can be quickly accessed with a swipe or through the Action button, and for the first time, users can customize or remove controls on the Lock Screen.
Significant Update Ever to Photos Introduces
The biggest-ever update to Photos in what’s new in iOS makes it easier to find and relive special moments. The simplified layout offers a unified yet familiar view of your library. New collections like Recent Days, People & Pets, and Trips, powered by on-device intelligence, automatically organize your photos so you can spend less time searching and more time enjoying your memories. Users can further personalize their experience with a customizable layout that highlights what’s most important to them and pin favorite collections for easy access.
Messages App Update
In iOS 18, Messages gets exciting updates. Users can apply animated effects like ripples or nods to letters, words, and emojis in iMessage. Text formatting options like bold, underline, strikethrough, and italics are now available. More Tapback reactions, including new emojis in iOS 18 and stickers, are introduced, plus users can schedule messages for later delivery. It also comes with RCS support, offering delivery/read receipts and higher resolution photos/videos for non-iPhone users.
Password And Photo Update
iOS 18 new features introduce a standalone Passwords app for easier access, allowing users to set up two-factor authentication codes within the app. The Photos app is redesigned, organizing collections by topic, with options to pin, customize, and filter views for specific media types, enhancing photo management.
Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence, integrated into iOS 18, leverages Apple silicon to enhance language and image creation, streamline tasks, and maintain privacy. Features like Writing Tools, improved Photo search, and a Clean Up tool are designed to simplify everyday tasks. Siri is more natural and context-aware, with a new design and richer language understanding. Apple Intelligence also introduces Private Cloud Compute, enhancing privacy in AI. The first set of features will be available next month, with the Apple Intelligence release date promising powerful, privacy-focused tools for users.
Other updates and features include:
- Live audio transcription
- Improvements to Maps
- “Tap to Pay” in Wallet
- The ability to change the beam width of the flashlight
- Customizable Lock Screen controls.
What Time Will iOS 18 Be Released?
Apple released iOS 18 globally on September 16, 2024 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time (1 p.m. Eastern Time), for those wondering what time iOS 18 will be released. This update will be available for download on eligible iPhone models via the Settings app under General → Software Update. However, due to high demand, users may experience slower download speeds as millions attempt to install the update simultaneously.
For those not ready to jump to iOS 18, Apple provides an alternative with iOS 17.7. This version includes crucial security updates without the more demanding features of iOS 18. It allows users to maintain security and stability while avoiding the system changes and enhancements that come with the latest upgrade, offering a balanced solution for those preferring to stay on a lighter system.
Impact of iOS 18 On App Development
iOS 18 Application developers will face new challenges and opportunities. Personalized features include deeper customization on the Home Screen, with a redesigned Control Center, which means an application developer must optimize the applications to fit into these customizable environments. With the new Apple Intelligence system, developers will have access to advanced tools that utilize generative models and personal context, allowing for smarter and more context-aware app experiences.
Further, the provision to add third-party apps to Control Center and the new gallery of controls will also permit developers to add more flexible, user-centric functionalities within their applications. The developers need to ensure the application is visually coherent and adaptive as the users have more control over app icons, widgets, and other interactive elements while also leveraging new capabilities in iOS 18 to better serve the users with an improved, personalized user experience.
In conclusion, new iOS 18 features deliver enhancing customization and usability for iPhone users. The update includes a redesigned Home Screen, Control Center, and Photos app, along with major improvements to Messages, Mail, and the introduction of a standalone Passwords app. With Apple Intelligence launching soon, users can look forward to powerful, privacy-focused tools that simplify everyday tasks. This update makes iPhones more personalized and capable than ever, offering flexibility and efficiency across various apps and functions.
