iOS 18 is coming today: Here’s everything we know

iOS 18 will mark Apple’s annual iPhone software update for 2024 and will be full of changes, and we’re just hours away from it being announced. The update has been described as one of the biggest ever for the iPhone. There will be major new AI features and design changes, plus new customization options. Read on for a recap of everything we know about iOS 18’s new features so far.

What to expect from iOS 18

In November, Bloomberg reported that Apple put a one-week pause on the development of new features for iOS 18 to fix bugs. This was done after the completion of the “first milestone” build of iOS 18. Typically, Apple would then immediately begin work on the second milestone, but this year, it took that one-week break to iron out early bugs and problems.

This delay, however, is unlikely to have a significant impact on iOS 18 in terms of new features and its release date. Instead, it was simply Apple taking an early pause to make sure iOS 18 is developed on as stable of a foundation as possible.

When will iOS 18 be released?

iOS 18 will be announced at WWDC 2024, which will take place on June 10. The first beta will be released following Apple’s keynote on June 10. A public beta will likely be released in July 2024, followed by a release to the general public in September.

Here’s a rundown of recent iOS release dates:

• iOS 17: September 17, 2023
• iOS 16: September 12, 2022
• iOS 15: September 20, 2021
• iOS 14: September 16, 2020
• iOS 13: September 19, 2019 
• iOS 12: September 17, 2018

iOS 18: Which devices will be compatible?

One of the biggest questions every year is which devices will be compatible with the new iOS version. This year, the rumor is that Apple has good news for iPhone owners. According to an anonymous account on Twitter, iOS 18 will be supported by all the same devices as iOS 17.

• 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 mini
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone XS
• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone XR
• iPhone SE (2nd generation)
• iPhone SE (3rd generation)

New features in iOS 18

Groundbreaking AI

Apple was reportedly caught “flat-footed” by the sudden rise of AI tools like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Microsoft Copilot. As such, the company is reportedly working on a wide array of new artificial intelligence features for iOS, which will be branded as “Apple Intelligence” features.

In fact, Apple CEO Tim Cook himself has promised that Apple has new AI features coming this year. During Apple’s most recent earnings call, Cook teased Apple is spending a “tremendous amount of time and effort” on artificial intelligence technologies, and the company is “excited to share the details of our ongoing work in that space later this year.”

Many of Apple’s AI tools are expected to be opt-in, according to Bloomberg. In a report, Mark Gurman detailed that Apple “won’t make users adopt” these AI features if they don’t want to.

Bloomberg has reported extensively on Apple’s goals for AI in iOS 18. Reports have outlined that “there’s an edict” within Apple and Craig Federighi’s software team to fill iOS 18 “with features running on the company’s large language model.”

Here’s a recap:

• A revamped version of Siri that is more intelligent and able to take advantage of a new AI system that incorporates large language model technology. Many of the biggest improvements to Siri, however, aren’t expected to arrive until 2025.
• AI integration in the Messages app that can “field questions and auto-complete sentences.”
• The ability to summarize incoming messages, notification, Safari webpages, emails, and more.
• Reply suggestions to “automatically create fully fleshed-out responses to emails and text messages on behalf of the user.”
• New AI features for Apple Music to create “auto-generated playlists”
• Integrating generative AI into iWork apps, including Keynote and Pages
• Adding generative AI features to Xcode to let developers “write new applications more quickly”
• Major new features for the Photos app, allowing users to enhance images, remove people and objects from images, and more.
• New AI features for Voice Memos, including automatic transcriptions for audio files.
• The ability to generate custom emoji using AI. This feature will create new emoji icons that relate to what the user is typing. Bloomberg says the system can update on the fly as the user types out words in a text.

Not all of these will necessarily be tied to iOS 18 or ready to be shipped as part of iOS 18. Apple’s apparent goal, however, is to fill iOS 18 with as many AI features as possible.

Additionally, Bloomberg has reported that many of the on-device AI features in iOS 18 will require an iPhone 15 Pro. This will significantly limit the number of users who are able to take advantage of the new features. The components that run on cloud servers, however, will likely be more widely available.

An OpenAI partnership

Bloomberg and The Information have reported that Apple has inked a deal with OpenAI to power some of the new AI features in iOS 18. The parntership with OpenAI will reportedly power Apple’s custom ChatGPT-like chatbot.

We’re still waiting on more details on how this will work. Apple is also developing its own large language model for a chatbot internally.

9to5Mac found evidence of Apple’s work on new AI and large language model technology in iOS 17.4. We reported that Apple is relying on OpenAI’s ChatGPT API for internal testing to help the development of its own AI models. 

• iOS 17.4: Apple continues work on AI-powered Siri and Messages features, with help from ChatGPT

RCS support

Apple made a surprise announcement in October: RCS support is coming to iPhones sometime in 2024. RCS, or Rich Communication Services, is the successor to SMS and MMS. It will bring a number of iMessage-style features to texts between iPhone and Android users.

RCS will unlock things like read receipts, typing indicators, and support for sending high-quality images and videos for conversations between iPhone and Android devices. It will also give users the ability to share their location with other people inside text threads. Unlike regular SMS, RCS can work over mobile data or Wi-Fi as well.

Apple’s specific wording is that RCS will be available on iPhone “later next year” via a software update. This would seemingly suggest that the feature could be included as part of iOS 18.

New Passwords app

iOS 18, macOS 15, and iPadOS 18 will include a dedicated Passwords app for the first time. This new app will make it easier for users to log in to websites and software, following years of Apple displaying passwords through the Settings app instead of a dedicated app.

The new Passwords app will be available across Apple’s platforms, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro. It will also reportedly be available on Windows. 

Upgrades to Messages

Other than new AI features, Apple has a few other big changes in store for the Messages app. First, iOS 18 will bring upgrades to the Tapbacks experience. Instead of being restricted to the current predefined set of six options (Love, Like, Dislike, Laugh, Emphasize, and Question), users will be able to react with any emoji they choose.

iOS 18 will also add support for scheduling messages to send later. This will let users to compose a message in Messages but have it actually send to the other person at a later time.

New customization options

Following the addition of Home Screen widgets with iOS 14 in 2020, Apple reportedly has more Home Screen changes in store for iOS 18. According to a pair of reports, iOS 18 will include new customization for the iPhone’s Home Screen.

In particular, rumors say that Apple will let users freely place app icons on their Home Screen for the first time. This means iPhone users will be able to break free from the Home Screen grid and create gaps between widgets and app icons.

Another significant update coming to the iOS 18 home screen is the ability to customize app icons. According to Bloomberg, this new feature will allow users to change the color of app icons system-wide for the first time.

We are still awaiting more details on how this will function. Bloomberg’s example indicates that users might be able to “make all social icons blue or finance-related ones green.”

Apple Maps upgrades

Apple Maps is expected to introduce a new custom route creation feature with iOS 18. This addition will allow iPhone users to design their own specific routes for a trip, instead of depending on the suggested routes from Apple Maps.

While Apple Maps currently offers multiple route options to your destination, the iOS 18 update will give users complete control over the precise details of their journey.

Settings app revamp

The Settings app on iPhone has remained largely the same since 2007. Finally, iOS 18 will reportedly include a new version of the Settings app for iPhone users. The new Settings app will allegedly feature a revamped interface with improved organization, as well as more powerful search for easily finding the settings you’re looking for.

Control Center redesign

According to Bloomberg, iOS 18 will introduce a revamped Control Center for iPhone users. The new design will feature an updated music widget and enhanced HomeKit integration. The new Control Center will also reportedly be able to be split across multiple pages.

Currently, iOS “intelligently” selects up to six accessories to display in the Home section of Control Center. This layout is managed automatically and often fails to surface the exact controls users need. While Bloomberg doesn’t provide specific details on how iOS 18 will improve HomeKit support in Control Center, it is hoped that one area of focus will be giving users added customization options.

And more

• The Calendar app will integrate with the Reminders app, allowing reminders to appear on your calendar for the first time. The apps, however, will remains separate.
• The Health app will include new blood pressure data management features.
• The Calculator app will get more powerful (and exppand to the iPad for the first time).
• There’s a new “smart song transitions” feature in the works for Apple Music.
• Bloomberg reports today that iOS 18 and macOS 15 will include new wallpaper packs that harken back to old school icons, slogans, and artwork.
• The ability to lock apps behind Face ID authentication.
• Tinted app icons when in dark mode.

Wrap up

Bloomberg has described iOS 18 as being Apple’s most “ambitious and compelling” update in years. The update is reportedly considered “groundbreaking” inside Apple and full of “major new features and designs, in addition to security and performance improvements.”

Apple has internally referred to iOS 18 as potentially the “biggest” iOS update ever, according to reports. There is reportedly a lot more in the works for the update than just the aforementioned new AI features.

It’s important to remember that Apple’s plans for iOS 18 may change between now and September. Over the next three months, Apple will finalize its plans for iOS 18 based on development progress before the update is released in September. Some features could also be announced at WWDC 2024 but not released until much later via updates such as iOS 18.1 and iOS 18.2.

What are you hoping to see in iOS 18? Do you think Apple will be able to catch up to other companies with new AI features? Let us know in the comments.

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