The newly released iOS 18 has tons of new features to offer. But there are also lots of features it doesn’t include, that are coming later. Apple Intelligence, the new Siri, Apple Mail upgrades, and a whole lot more won’t hit your iPhone until future updates. Here’s everything coming in iOS 18.1 or later.
Apple Intelligence features
Arguably the biggest highlight of iOS 18 is Apple Intelligence. But the first AI features aren’t in the just-released iOS 18.0. Instead, they’re coming next month as part of iOS 18.1. With a compatible device (e.g., iPhone 16, 16 Pro, or 15 Pro), you’ll be able to:
- receive AI notification summaries
- remove unwanted objects in Photos
- have AI proofread or rewrite text for you
- generate custom Memory movies
- Siri upgrades
- and more
This will just be the start, with additional Apple Intelligence features arriving in iOS 18.2 in December, and iOS 18.3 or 18.4 in the spring.
New and improved Siri
A key part of Apple Intelligence is the new, supercharged Siri. If you buy an iPhone 16 today, running iOS 18, it will have the same old Siri as ever. But next month when iOS 18.1 releases, Siri will gain a new glowing design, a useful typing interface, better understanding of requests and context, and more. Later enhancements will arrive throughout the rest of the year, like ChatGPT integration. Then in 2025 Siri will keep getting better with powerful in-app and cross-app actions, on-screen awareness, and more.
Apple Mail upgrades
iOS 18 has a lot of changes in store for the Apple Mail app, but not just yet. The first Mail updates will arrive in iOS 18.1 with AI summaries, priority messages, and Smart Reply. Even bigger changes come in December’s iOS 18.2 update. By the end of the year, Mail will be able to automatically sort emails into different categories like Transactions, Promotions, and Updates. Your inbox will also bump unread messages to the top, and collect messages from the same sender together.
Genmoji and other new emoji
Your emoji possibilities will be endless later this year. Not only will Apple be adding new built-in emoji, likely in iOS 18.2, but Genmoji will also come to all Apple Intelligence-compatible devices. Once it does, you’ll be able to type a description of the emoji you need, and AI will generate it for you instantly.
Home app features
The Home app is gaining support for robot vacuum cleaners later this year, so you’ll hopefully be able to control your Roomba right from Apple’s app. There will also be support for viewing electricity use right inside Home. Finally, iOS 18.0 technically enables ultra wideband door locks, but no such products currently exist—hopefully that will be remedied before long.
Drag and drop for iPhone Mirroring
If you own a Mac, iPhone Mirroring is a great new way to interact with your phone via your Mac. macOS Sequoia and iOS 18 make the feature possible, but it will be gaining a new ability later this year. After a future update, you’ll be able to drag and drop files and photos between your Mac and your mirrored iPhone. The feature seems poised to be the new fastest way to transfer data.
Wrap-up
iOS 18 is a strong release, but it’s going to get even better in the months ahead. There’s a lot to explore and enjoy in the current 18.0 release, but starting with iOS 18.1 next month and the first Apple Intelligence features, there’s so much more coming.
What new features are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments.
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