iOS 18 is currently available only to Apple Developer Program participants, but it will hit iPhone Xs and all newer Apple smartphone models in early fall. As the company emphasizes, it will be a major update that includes a makeover for the Photos app, new ways to manage your inbox in Mail, and the ability to send messages in satellite mode.
We decided to collect all the most important new features introduced by iOS 18 in one place.
1) More home screen customization
iPhone users will finally get something that is already commonplace for people using Android smartphones. It is the ability to fully personalize the home screen. In iOS 18, we can arrange applications and widgets in any free area of ​​the screen. What's more, we can change the appearance of individual elements using the effect of dimming and tinting.
Apple has also redesigned the Control Center, which can be more easily customized to suit your needs, such as adding features from third-party apps. There's also a new gallery of controls.
Finally, we can also change the controls on the Lock screen or remove them from the screen entirely if we don’t need them. iOS 18 will also let us assign new functions to the Action button, which appeared on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max (leaks suggest that all iPhone 16 models will receive it this year).
2) Photos with a great transformation
In iOS 18, the Photos app has undergone a major makeover. New collections have appeared, which will make it easier to browse photos by specific themes. Individual collections can be pinned to the app's home screen for easier access.
There is also a new carousel view updated daily, which presents our favorite photos. Apple has also introduced an autoplay function to the application. According to the manufacturer, it is supposed to make libraries and photos look much more interesting. However, I am not convinced by this solution, which personally only brings more chaos to my mind.
3) New features in the Messages app
The iMessege app will receive new text effects that are supposed to spice up our conversations. These include beautifying letters, words, sentences or emojis with dynamic animations. Tapback reactions can include different emojis and stickers, and a composed message can be sent at a selected time.
Perhaps the most anticipated new feature is the RCS standard, which will make it easier for iPhone users to communicate with Android users. Compared to SMS and MMS, RCS allows for sending messages richer in multimedia. It also allows for the creation of group chats between iOS and Android smartphones.
There's one more new feature: iOS 18 will allow you to use the Messages app via satellite when a cellular or Wi-Fi network isn't available. This solution is based on the same technology as the iPhone's existing satellite features.
4) Better Mail
The Mail app will introduce new ways to manage your inbox. Mail organizes and sorts incoming email into the following groups: Primary (personal and urgent emails), Transactions (payment confirmations), Updates (messages and notifications from social networks), and Promotions (advertising messages and discounts).
5) Safari is going to be even better
The browser built into iOS 18 will receive a Highlights feature. As Apple explains, Safari uses machine learning technology to present the most important information about a website. Users can review a summary of the article they are reading or quickly check the location of a restaurant, hotel or monument.
Changes also apply to the Reader mode. Its layout is to be even more minimalistic, so that nothing interferes with our reading of the selected text. In Reader mode, an article summary and its table of contents will also be available.
6) Passwords Application
iOS 18 will feature a new Passwords app, which is based on the Apple Keychain. The new app will make it easier to access passwords, keys, Wi-Fi passwords, and verification codes. It also notifies users of common oversights, such as passwords that are too easy to guess or used multiple times, as well as passwords that have already been stolen.
7) Better privacy protection
iOS 18 will also allow us to better manage privacy and security settings. There will be the ability to block or even hide an app by moving it to a locked and invisible folder. Once blocked/hidden, content from a given app will not appear in the search engine, notifications, and other areas of the system.
8) Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence, a personal AI system for Mac, iPhone, and iPad, will also debut with iOS 18. It combines personal context with the power of generative AI models, using the device's built-in NPU. Apple Intelligence will be available to users of the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, all iPhone 16 models, and iPads and Macs with M1 systems and newer. However, to use it, the device language must be set to English.
The iPhone 16 premiere is on September 9 at 7:00 PM Polish time. If you want to know what new features the next Apple smartphone will bring, then be sure to read THIS TEXT.