Quick Links
As expected, Apple announced the next iteration of iOS at WWDC 2024, which brings tons of new features and changes to iPhones. Below, we’ll discuss some of the best features iOS 18 will offer once Apple rolls it out in fall 2024.
1Home Screen Customization
In recent years, Apple introduced several changes to iOS to make your iPhone more customizable. For instance, Apple introducedinteractive widgets in iOS 17. However, iOS still lacked many features that Android devices have had for years. With iOS 18, Apple has further narrowed the gap.
For starters, iOS 18 lets you place app icons and widgets wherever you like on a Home Screen page. This means you’ll no longer have to worry about your apps and widgets blocking the perfect wallpaper you found. For instance, you can place your apps right above the Dock for ready access!
While you can’t change an app’s icon entirely yet, iOS 18 allows you to adjust an app icon’s color tint and intensity. You can also choose between two different icon sizes. Additionally, your app icons will take on a new dark look when you enable Dark Mode.
2Hide and Lock Apps
Do you have apps you don’t want others to access when they use your iPhone? While some third-party apps like WhatsApp and a few Apple apps like Journal allowed you to lock them, most apps lacked this functionality. Fortunately, with iOS 18, users will have the option to lock any app of their choice.
Once locked, your iPhone’s passcode, Face ID, or Touch ID will be required whenever you want to access the app. iOS 18 also allows you to move an app to a hidden folder inyour iPhone’s App Librarythat also requires your device’s passcode, Face ID, or Touch ID to access.
3A Standalone Passwords App
Besides letting you hide and lock apps, Apple introduced an all-new Passwords app in iOS 18. You no longer have to dig into the Settings menu to view your saved passwords. You’ll find all the passwords stored onthe iCloud Keychainin the Passwords app.
Apple’s Passwords app isn’t just limited to storing your passwords for your accounts. It can also store your Wi-Fi passwords, passkeys, and two-factor authentication codes. You’ll also receive security alerts and be informed if you have passwords that someone can guess easily or have previously appeared in data leaks.
All the passwords stored in the Passwords app will sync across all your devices using the same Apple ID, including your iPad, Mac, Vision Pro, and Windows PC.
4Apple Intelligence and Siri Revamp
Although iOS 18 introduced some major changes, the highlight of the WWDC 2024 event was undeniably Apple Intelligence. Apple’s take on AI features is coming to its devices in the fall of 2024.
For instance, are you tired of waiting around for Apple to introduce an iced coffee emoji? Well, wait no more!
One of the biggest features of Apple Intelligence is Genmoji, which allows you to create your very own emoji with text prompts. So, if you’re tired of waiting for Apple to introduce an iced coffee emoji, you may create it yourself with Genmoji. You can also create a Genmoji of your loved ones using your photos.
Apple Intelligence also includes Writing Tools, which is similar toGrammarlyGO, allowing users to rewrite, proofread, and summarize text in apps like Notes and Pages. The writing assistant can adjust the tone of your text, offering Friendly, Professional, and Concise options. Image Playground is another feature that can generate images from text prompts.
More importantly, Apple Intelligence finally allowed Apple to revamp Siri. On iOS 18, you’ll see a glowing multicolored border on the screen when you activate Siri. The AI-powered assistant will also remember the context of a conversation and understand what you’re trying to say even when you’re stuttering.
Additionally, if you want to use Siri in a quiet setting, Type to Siri lets you activate the assistant by simply double-tapping the bottom of the screen. Siri can also sort your notifications by priority. Apple has also integrated ChatGPT into Siri, allowing it to direct requests to ChatGPT with your permission.
While we’ve only discussed a few features that Apple Intelligence will tap into, it’s certainly an exciting time to be an Apple user. Unfortunately, Apple Intelligence will only be available on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and newer models when it arrives later in 2024.
5A Redesigned Photos App
iOS 18 will bring the biggest redesign to Apple’s Photos app in years. Apple has made changes to reduce the time you spend searching for a picture in your gallery. The Photos app has been unified into a single view instead of the tabbed layout we’ve been familiar with for years.
The redesigned Photos app has a new Filter button that allows you to filter out images quickly. Apple also introduced Collections, which allows you to browse images by topics like Trips, People & Pets, Time, and more.
Recent Days is another collection that organizes images by each day. The impressive part is that Recent Days filters out any clutter, allowing you to view the images that really matter. To access your Collections quicker, you can also pin your favorite ones.
6Control Center Overhaul
The Control Center on your iPhone houses frequently used actions like Wi-Fi, flashlight, brightness, volume, Focus modes, and more. Often, it saves you a trip to the Settings app.
Besides letting you swap out the traditional camera and flashlight icons on the Lock Screen with any Control Center action of your choice, Apple has redesigned the Control Center entirely. It now houses multiple groups of controls for media, Home, and connectivity.
Users can add controls from third-party apps and have the flexibility to change the size of icons. If you have an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, you can alsocustomize the Action buttonby assigning it a Control Center action.
7Messages via Satellite and RCS
After years of waiting, Apple announced thatRCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging is coming to iPhoneswith iOS 18. Strangely enough, Apple barely mentioned it during the keynote. So, for now, all we know is that you’ll be able to communicate with your family and friends who don’t use an Apple device via the Messages app.
iOS 18 also introduced Messages via satellite for iPhone 14 and later. It works similarly tothe Emergency SOS via satellite feature, allowing you to stay in touch with your loved ones when you don’t have access to Wi-Fi or cellular data. Apple also claims that all messages sent via satellite are end-to-end encrypted.
It goes without saying that iOS 18 may be one of the biggest updates iPhone users have seen in quite a while. Out of all the features we’ve discussed, I’m definitely looking forward to exploring Apple Intelligence the most. iOS 18 is currently available as a beta to developers, so if you’re impatient, you cantry iOS 18 right now, but note that it doesn’t have all the features yet.
