Apple has announced new features coming to iPhones via iOS 18 and the company’s AI-powered intelligence system called “Apple intelligence” at the World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) on Monday. This includes scheduled iMessages, interface customisation and one of a kind emojis.
With iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence coming later this year, according to apple executive Craig Federighi during the Apple’s keynote at WWDC, he said “ We are just getting started, I hope you are as excited as I am about the road ahead”.
Below are some of the new features coming via iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence.
1. Enhanced home screen, control center customisability.
When iPhone users unlock their device, they are basically met by a wallpaper and a ton of apps. With iOS 18, users will be able to further customise their Home Screen in various ways by:
- Putting app icons and widgets anywhere on the Home Screen grid.
- Turning the iPhone on dark mode, which now changes app icons.
- Changing the tint color of the home screen.
The control center is more customisable as iPhone users will be able to group their favorite controls, including the ones created by third-party apps. The flashlight and camera shortcuts on the lock screen will also be changeable.
2. Scheduled Messages and more “tapback” reactions.
Scheduled messages, emojis tapbacks, and text effects were announced as improvements to the message app. The text effect will allow users to visually expand their messages, while emoji tap backs are ways to respond to text messages more expressively. Rich Communication Services (RCS) is also a new edition to messages coming via iOS 18 and the improvement will allow for smoother text messaging between iPhone and android users.
Another feature available in Messages courtesy of Apple Intelligence is user’s ability to create total original images of people in sketch and animated forms.
3. Introduction of ‘Genmojis’.
With the assistance of Apple Intelligence, users will be able to create custom “Genmoji” to match any moment. The only thing uses will have to do is provide and description and a Genmoji will appear, along with other options to choose from.
4. Biggest redesign ever to photos.
Photos is receiving its biggest redesign ever as the app will now be unified to a single view. There is an introduction of filter opitons to the app and users will be able to search through photos by the month, year they were taken. Screenshots can also be filtered out.
A collection feature is now included and will allow users to browse through customisable sections. A carousel that updates daily is another feature that allows users to see their favorite photos in a new format.
5. Improved more organised mail app.
The mail app will be able to separate emails into sections to make user’s inboxes more organised.
Incoming email will be separated into:
- Primary: For personal and time sensitive emails.
- Transactions: For confirmations and receipts.
- Updates: For news and social notifications.
- Promotions: For marketing emails and coupons.
A new mail digest feature will also make sliding through important emails easier.
6. Highlights and redesigned reader added to safari.
Safari will make it easier to get the gist of it articles or webpages quickly by finding key information and summarizing. For instance, safari will summarise a long article for users to find the location of a restaurant just by its name appearing on a webpage.
7. Passwords app, improved privacy.
The password app will make it easier for users to store and access their passwords, pass-keys, Wi-Fi passwords, and verification codes. The app will also let users know if their password is weak or have been used before.
The iOS 18 update will also help users privacy by allowing them to hide and lock apps to where it would require a passcode or Face ID to open them.
7. Advanced Siri
With Apple Intelligence (AI), Siri will be more advanced than ever by being able to:
- Take actions inside apps on user’s behalf.
- Answer thousands of questions when users want to know how to do something on their apple devices.
- Maintain conversational context so users don’t have to repeat certain things when scheduling events or sending messages.
- Take action when something new appears on the screen, such as updating a contact when a user receives text messages containing a new address.
Compatibility
iOS 18 is compatible with:
iPhone 15
iPhone 15 Plus
iPhone 15 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPhone 14
iPhone 14 Plus
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro Max
iPhone 13
iPhone 13 mini
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 13 Pro Max
iPhone 12
iPhone 12 Pro
iPhone 12 Pro Max
iPhone 11
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone XR
iPhone XS
iPhone XS Max
iPhone SE
(2nd gen or later)
With these features on iOS 18, Apple have been able to upgrade their system for a good experience for its users. This makes it easy for users to get easy responses and results through these updated features.
