Final week, Apple’s huge “It is Glowtime” occasion revealed the brand new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Professional, the Apple Watch Sequence 10, and upgrades to AirPods. However do not let iOS information slide beneath the radar: Whether or not you have getting a brand new cellphone or not, there is a good likelihood you possibly can improve your gadget to iOS 18, and reap the benefits of a ton of recent options—and the ultimate model is obtainable at this time.
That is no minor replace, to say the least. iOS 18 ships with higher customization choices than ever earlier than, together with personalised Residence Display screen layouts, tinted app icons, and a absolutely customizable Management Middle format. It additionally brings a revamped Photographs app, the flexibility to schedule messages for later, and a extra highly effective tackle Apple Notes. To not point out, it is going to add highly effective new AI options for suitable iPhones, not less than later this yr.
The official model of iOS 18 arrived at this time
Apple formally launched iOS 18 at this time, Sept. 16. So long as your iPhone can run iOS 17, you possibly can replace to iOS 18, too. That stated, it will not ship with Apple Intelligence: Apple’s AI options will likely be accessible for suitable iPhones in October, with the discharge of iOS 18.1. Additionally they will not roll out suddenly, so that you should not anticipate all the introduced options to be accessible at launch.
Listed here are a very powerful iOS 18 options it’s essential to find out about.
Apple Intelligence: A (principally) on-device AI assistant
Credit score: Apple
Apple Intelligence is the flagship characteristic of the iOS 18 period, (even whether it is coming with iOS 18.1) and it is accessible in many various methods throughout the working system. This is a fast round-up of all of the Apple Intelligence options highlighted on the iPhone 16 launch occasion:
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Writing Instruments: You’ll be able to generate textual content through prompts, rewrite textual content to make it extra pleasant or skilled, and even proofread it. Good Reply is a associated characteristic, which helps you to use AI to shortly add context to your emails.
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Precedence Notifications: Apple Intelligence will rearrange your notifications to place a very powerful ones on the high. As soon as the characteristic truly rolls out en masse, we’ll see if it may well truly spotlight vital alerts. There’s additionally a brand new Focus mode referred to as Cut back Interruptions, which can robotically silence low-priority notifications.
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Summarize articles or emails: Apple Intelligence can generate summaries of lengthy emails or articles. This may prevent a while, so long as the abstract is correct. This characteristic will work in Apple’s Mail app and Safari.
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File cellphone calls: Apple Intelligence helps name recording, and the AI assistant will generate transcripts of recorded requires you. This transcription characteristic additionally works in Apple Notes.
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Generate pictures: You need to use Apple Intelligence to generate pictures primarily based on textual content prompts. When you mix these prompts with a tough sketch you drew, Apple Intelligence can flip your scribbles into an entire picture. iOS 18 can even assist you to generate emoji primarily based on textual content prompts.
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Clear Up: That is Apple’s tackle Google’s Magic Eraser, permitting you to take away photobombers out of your pictures.
Apple says that with iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence, Siri is ready to observe your queries even when you make a mistake whereas talking. You’ll be able to shortly appropriate your self, and Siri will reply queries accordingly. As well as, Apple Intelligence helps you to take a photograph of animals to establish their species or breeds, and take an image of an merchandise to establish it utilizing Google Search.
Apple’s huge promise with Apple Intelligence is privateness: The corporate says your knowledge is simply used to course of your requests, and that it is by no means saved. Fairly a little bit of Apple Intelligence runs on-device, however Apple can draw on server-based fashions for sure options. There’s ChatGPT integration with some options, comparable to Writing Instruments, however you may should explicitly ask for ChatGPT’s inputs to make use of it. When you’re cautious about using OpenAI’s fashions, you possibly can keep away from them completely.
Whereas all of this may sound thrilling, Apple Intelligence’s greatest hurdle is that it is not accessible for many iPhones on the time of this writing. It really works with the iPhone 16 collection and the iPhone 15 Professional fashions: iPhone 15 and older gadgets are out of luck. Aside from that, it really works solely on iPads and MacBooks with Apple’s M-series chips. Lots of Apple Intelligence’s options are restricted to U.S. English and assist for another languages will likely be coming later. Equally, a few of its options won’t be accessible in lots of areas, so it is best to verify Apple’s web site to see which options will likely be coming to your iPhone.
A built-in password supervisor
Credit score: Khamosh Pathak
One of many greatest additions to iOS 18 is the brand new Passwords app. It upgrades Apple’s current password supervisor instruments into devoted app that works throughout your Apple gadgets and on Home windows (through the iCloud for Home windows app). You need to use this to securely retailer your login credentials, passkeys, and even to generate QR codes to share wifi passwords.
A totally customizable Management Middle
Credit score: Pranay Parab
Now you can simply reorder all of the tiles in your iPhone’s Management Middle. I’ve used it to maneuver most-used options to the bottom-right nook, which my thumb can simply attain. You can even delete options that you do not use, which is an enormous step ahead: Earlier variations of iOS did not allow you to take away sure options, such because the Now Enjoying widget. It is accessible on all iPhones working iOS 18.
Personalize your Residence Display screen
Credit score: Apple
Constructing on customization choices in previous variations of iOS, Apple has added correct Residence Display screen customization to iOS 18. You’ll be able to transfer apps to any a part of the display now: For instance, you possibly can go away the highest half of the display empty and place icons solely within the decrease half, or in whichever a part of the display you want. This opens up room for extra custom-made Residence Display screen layouts, à la Android, and it’s also possible to transfer icons round to focus on your wallpapers extra. You are additionally free to tint your app icons: Relying in your model, you possibly can both match their colour scheme to your wallpaper, or choose a contrasting look.
A revamped Messages app
Credit score: Apple
Apple gave Messages plenty of consideration in iOS 18. Maybe a very powerful change, nonetheless, is RCS assist: You and your Android associates can now ship one another higher-quality pictures and movies, be part of functioning group chats, and profit from end-to-end encryption. All-in-all, the expertise ought to really feel much like iMessage. (Though Apple nonetheless makes these bubbles inexperienced.) iOS 18 additionally helps you to schedule messages to keep away from bothering folks at odd hours. Different enhancements embody the addition of recent textual content formatting choices comparable to underline and strikethrough, extra textual content results, and the flexibility to react with any emoji you need—not simply the six preset choices.
Large enhancements to Apple Notes
Credit score: Pranay Parab
With iOS 18, Apple Notes is getting an enormous improve. Now you can remedy primary arithmetic issues within the app, nice for logging bills or splitting prices with others. The app additionally helps you to file voice notes, and when you have an Apple Intelligence-compatible cellphone, even transcribes your audio notes. For improved group, Notes helps you to collapse part headers, so you will not should scroll as a lot in longer notes. Simply faucet a piece header to break down it and transfer to the subsequent part.
Extra privateness and security measures
Credit score: Pranay Parab
iOS 18 enhances privateness choices on iPhone with a redesigned Privateness & Safety settings web page, the place you possibly can shortly verify what number of apps are accessing sure forms of knowledge. When apps ask for entry to your handle e book, you can select particular contacts to present entry to, and deny entry to the remaining. This prevents apps from scraping all of your contacts once they solely want entry to a few.
Past this, there are loads of hidden options you need to hold a watch out for this yr. From looking your name historical past and utilizing reminders in Apple Calendar, to renaming Siri (though you in all probability should not), there’s rather a lot to sit up for.
