With this year's WWDC scheduled, the countdown to our first official look at iOS 18 has begun. We've grown accustomed to seeing previews of Apple's upcoming software update during annual developer conferences. But there's special anticipation for WWDC 2024 given all the hype surrounding iOS 18.
Specifically, the iOS 18 numbers show Apple's first concerted effort to broadly include AI-powered features. This change has convinced some people that iOS 18 is going to be a pretty big deal. “I've been told that the new operating system is viewed within the company as one of the biggest — if not the biggest — iOS updates in the company's history.” Bloomberg's Mark Gurman wrote In an addendum to our January 2024 column detailing what Apple has in store.
While potential AI features are certainly fueling a lot of that sentiment, there's likely more to come in iOS 18. The software appears to be getting some interface updates, and you can expect the usual parade of improvements and updates to existing apps.
WWDC may offer a first look at the new iPhone software, but it won't be the last word on iOS 18. We expect a public beta to arrive in the summer, giving the more adventurous members of the general public a chance to try out any new features. It all leads up to the full release of iOS 18 later this year, likely just before the iPhone 16 models arrive.
So yeah, that's why people are getting excited about iOS 18, even long before Apple previews it. Here's a closer look at nine potential changes this update brings to the iPhone.
A new version of Siri
iOS updates typically bring a new round of skills to Siri, allowing the digital assistant to answer more questions without resorting to the dreaded “this is what I found online” response. Siri has become a more reliable performer over the years, and the way it speaks and has conversations with you seems to have become noticeably more natural in recent years. But iOS 18 could take Apple's digital assistant to the next level.
Specifically, there was talk of Siri 2.0 debuting at WWDC as part of iOS 18. Originally, this update to the virtual assistant was seen as an attempt by Apple to create a chatbot, though later reports have squashed The idea of Apple introducing a chatbot is his own. (These reports leave the door open for Apple to use someone else's chatbot, as there have been reports that Apple and Google are discussing including the latter's Gemini widget on the iPhone in some way.)
Whether it's a Chatbot or not, rumors about Siri's iOS 18 update suggest that it will be more conversational and capable of handling complex tasks. The number of acquisitions and business opportunities Apple has made in this area certainly suggests that something is in the works – we'll just have to wait or preview iOS 18 to see the scope of the changes coming to Siri.
Generative AI is coming to embedded applications
AI in iOS 18 is expected to appear in other ways, such as in generative AI powering new features in some of your favorite apps. a Bloomberg report by Mark Gurman He specifically cites examples where AI helps iPhone users automatically create playlists in the Music app or slides in the Keynote presentation tool. The Spotlight search feature is also said to be being trained on large language models, and we could see Apple taking a page from Samsung's Galaxy AI playbook by adding summarization and formatting features to Notes and Safari.
Apple has made no secret of the fact that generative AI is very much on its radar. “Later this year, I look forward to sharing the ways in which we can break new ground in generative AI, another technology that we believe can redefine the future,” Tim Cook, the company’s CEO, said during the company’s shareholder meeting in February. . This timing aligns well with the iOS 18 preview.
Support RCS
Here's something we already know Apple plans to add at some point; We're just assuming it will debut as part of iOS 18.
We're talking about the RCS standard, or Rich Communications Services. Apple said late last year that it would introduce RCS support via a software update sometime in 2024. When that happens — and you imagine it happens via iOS 18 — it should lead to improved messaging between iPhone and Android users.
Keep in mind that the green bubbles that act as a divide between Android and iOS — and which have been cited in federal antitrust lawsuits — aren't going anywhere, and Apple's iMessage will continue to offer the premium chat experience on the iPhone. But RCS support will add things like write indicators and read receipts for cross-platform communication.
Customize your home screen
There's been talk of iOS 18 introducing some significant changes to the look of Apple's iPhone software, but so far, there haven't been many details. One exception comes via another dispatch from Mark Gurman stating that iOS 18 will give users the ability to better customize the look of their home screens.
Currently, you can change the wallpaper on your iPhone's home screen, and you can rearrange the apps that appear and the arrangement of the screens. As of the 2020 iOS 14 update, you can also add widgets to the Home screen. But all this time, I've been sticking to the 6×4 grid where app icons are lined up in rows and columns.
iOS 18's customization features will reportedly give you more control over where you can place app icons, leaving gaps and open spaces wherever you want. We think this is more of a change than we've heard about so far, but greater flexibility in app placement seems like a step in the right direction.
Custom paths in maps
Not every update coming to iOS 18 will focus on AI. Some improvements will be old-fashioned, which are just new features added to existing apps, improving the way they work. This is the case with the Maps app, which is already scheduled to get some improvements in iOS 18.
The feature that will interest most people is the ability to customize your routes when getting directions in Maps, a feature that has been spotted in some of the app's code. We'll have to wait for an official clarification from Apple, but it looks like you'll be able to give directions when planning your route.
For example, Maps has a very different idea of how to get to the nearest freeway ramp from my house when I'm planning a road trip. Instead of having to ignore Maps for this part of my trip, I think I'll be able to customize my route on the streets I'd rather drive on rather than the ones Apple has decided are fastest. The feature should also come in handy if there's a particular point of interest you want to swing by that isn't necessarily on the map app's preferred route.
Topographic maps
Topographic Maps, a feature already supported in watchOS 10, could be ported to your iPhone as well – again, this is based on code discovered in the operating system that appears to be activated in the iOS 18 update. Furthermore, it could come The feature is coming to the Maps app in macOS and VisionOS updates as well.
Since topographic maps show things like elevation and trails, it makes sense for them to be enabled on the Apple Watch first. But the iPhone version of Maps has walking directions and the Fitness app tracks steps, so expanding the feature to iOS seems natural.
Accessibility features
MacRumors got early news on accessibility improvements coming to iOS 18 (and the next version of macOS, while we're at it). The standout feature appears to be Adaptive Voice Shortcuts where you can use a unique phrase to control a specific accessibility setting. It should make operating the iPhone much easier for anyone who struggles with a touch interface.
But that's not the only accessibility improvement, according to MacRumors' sources. The live speech improvement will reportedly add better phrase organization tools while the adjustable text size feature will expand support for apps like Books, News, Stocks, Tips, and Weather.
Hearing mode for AirPods Pro users
While we're on the subject of accessibility features, iOS 18 will also supposedly add a feature that will make the AirPods Pro even more valuable to anyone with hearing loss. A Bloomberg report indicates that Hearing Assistant Mode could be arriving in iOS 18. The feature will work with second-generation models of the AirPods Pro wireless earbuds, assuming Apple receives the appropriate regulatory clearance.
Wide support for iPhone
Every year at WWDC, one of the most tense moments is finding out which phones will be able to support the new iOS update. Apple's support is very generous, extending at least five years of iOS and security updates, but that doesn't stop you from hearing all about the cool new features coming to iPhones only to learn that you have to upgrade your older device.
There's probably good news about iOS 18 if you believe the now-deleted take on iPhone support. The software update is supposed to work on every iPhone capable of running iOS 17, which brings us back to the iPhone XR and iPhone XS models released in 2018, along with the 2020 and 2022 versions of the iPhone SE.
This does not mean that all of these phones will be able to support all the features. For example, we've heard that some of the more demanding AI features may be limited to iPhone 16 models, and who knows what other upcoming iOS 18 capabilities will require more modern processors. However, any time you can spend another year on your iPhone, it's cause for celebration.
iOS 18 forecast
Keep in mind that getting leaks about software is usually harder than getting advice about what's coming to the next iPhones. That's because Apple runs its software in-house, so there are no outside suppliers talking excessively about upcoming specifications.
That's another way of saying, we've gotten a pretty good idea of some of iOS 18's new capabilities and we're still more than two months away from WWDC. Expect more details to leak about the upcoming iPhone software update, as we find out if iOS 18 will be as important as everyone thinks.