iOS 18 - June 10, 2024 release of Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones

iOS 18 introduces significant enhancements across various applications, offering users more customisation and functionality.

TL:DR — These updates in iOS 18 enhance user experience by providing more personalisation, improved security, and advanced functionalities across various applications. All iPhones that support iOS 17 are compatible with iOS 18. However, the level of support varies. You should consider selling/trading in iPhones older than the iPhone 15 as they won't be able to use Apple Intelligence so their value will diminish.

iOS 18

iOS 18 was released on September 16, 2024, as a free software update for supported iOS devices. iOS 18.3.1 is the latest release.

Apple Intelligence

Apple Intelligence, introduced in iOS 18.1, on the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro Max and then later on the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro, in some markets, utilises personal context to provide relevant assistance. It can prioritise notifications, summarise messages and emails, facilitate natural interactions with Siri, and search your photo library based on descriptions. Additionally, the Image Playground feature allows users to create new images from descriptions or suggested concepts.

• Notification summaries
  • Easily manage settings for notification summaries from the Lock Screen
  • Updated style for summarized notifications better distinguishes them from other notifications by using italicized text as well as the glyph
  • Notification summaries for News & Entertainment apps are temporarily unavailable, and users who opt-in will see them again when the feature becomes available
• Image Playground
  • Create fun, playful images in multiple styles using concepts, descriptions, and people from your photo library
  • Swipe to see previews to choose from as you add concepts to your playground
  • Choose from animation and illustration styles when creating your image
  • Create images in Messages and Freeform, as well as third party apps
  • Sync images in your Image Playground library across all your devices with iCloud
• ChatGPT
  • ChatGPT from OpenAI can be accessed right from Siri or Writing Tools
  • Compose in Writing Tools allows you to create something from scratch with ChatGPT
  • Siri can tap into ChatGPT when relevant to provide you an answer
  • A ChatGPT account is not required and your requests will be anonymous and won’t be used to train OpenAI’s models
  • Sign in with ChatGPT to access your account benefits, and requests will be covered by OpenAI’s data policies
• Writing Tools
  • Writing Tools are available nearly everywhere you type, allowing you to rewrite, proofread, and summarise text right in the app you’re working in
  • Rewrite suggests different versions of your text so you can choose which combination of flow and wording you like best
  • Proofread lets you view suggested improvements to what you’re writing, like grammar fixes and language refinements
  • Summarise allows you to select text wherever you’re writing and generate a high-quality summary
  • Describe your change in Writing Tools allows you to suggest how you’d like something rewritten, for example as a poe

Home Screen Personalisation

Users can now arrange apps and widgets on the Home Screen, adjust their sizes, and apply custom tints. iOS 18 also suggests colors that complement your wallpaper, enhancing the visual coherence of your device and has caught up with Android in introducing dark appearance home screen icons if implemented by the developer.

Privacy

To protect sensitive information, iOS 18 allows users to lock apps using Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode. Additionally, apps can be hidden from the Home Screen in a locked folder, which ensures that their data doesn't appear in notifications or search results.

• Locked apps let you protect sensitive apps and the information inside them by requiring Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode to open them and hiding the content from search, notifications, and other places across the system
• Hidden apps have the same protections as locked apps, plus they are placed in a new hidden apps folder that is locked, and you won't receive notifications or calls from the app
• Improved Contacts permission empower you to choose which contacts to share with an app
• Improved Bluetooth pairing lets developers offer a seamless pairing experience, while protecting your privacy

Photos App Overhaul: A Comprehensive Redesign

The Photos app has undergone its most extensive redesign, organising your library into categories like Recent Days, Trips, and People & Pets with a view to streamlining navigation with a unified interface. Pinned Collections enable quick access to important albums, and customisation options make the app more personal and user-friendly.

The Photos app introduces its most extensive update, streamlining navigation with a unified interface that consolidates all content into a single, structured view.

• Automated Collections dynamically categorize the library into contextual groupings, offering multiple viewing formats, including collages, grids, memory-based presentations, and location-based maps.
• Enhanced Customisation allows users to rearrange, modify, or remove Collection rows while enabling quick access to preferred media through Pinned Collections.
• People & Pets Grouping intelligently clusters frequently appearing individuals and pets into distinct sets for easier browsing.
• Trips Compilation systematically assembles travel-related media into organized sets, providing a seamless way to revisit past journeys.
• Recent Days Organisation structures newly captured content into daily segments while eliminating unnecessary elements like screenshots.
• Advanced Filtering introduces a streamlined selection tool to refine displayed content by media type, favorites, or the exclusion of screenshots.
• Precision Video Playback enables frame-rate-specific slow-motion adjustments with user-defined entry and exit points.
• Expanded Utilities Section incorporates dedicated categories for essential documents, receipts, QR codes, and recently accessed or modified items.
• Recovered Album Restoration retrieves previously inaccessible images due to database inconsistencies, securing them within a protected album.

Messages Enhancements

Messages now offer new text effects, including bold, italics, underline, and strikethrough. Animated effects can be applied to letters, words, phrases, or emojis, many of which are suggested as you type, adding a dynamic element to conversations.

• Satellite Messaging enables text communication with friends and family even in the absence of cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity by linking directly to satellites (iPhone 14 and later).
• Dynamic Text Effects enhance conversations by applying animated visual treatments—such as explode, ripple, and nod—to individual letters, words, phrases, or emojis within iMessage.
• Rich Text Formatting introduces bold, underline, italics, and strikethrough options, allowing for greater emphasis and readability in messages.
• Expanded Tapback Reactions provide the flexibility to respond to messages with any emoji or sticker, with frequently used reactions accessible via a simple swipe.
• Scheduled Messaging allows users to draft messages in advance and set them to be sent at a predetermined time.
• RCS Messaging Integration delivers improved cross-platform messaging with read receipts, delivery confirmations, and high-resolution media sharing for non-iPhone users such as Android users, subject to carrier support.

Mail

Mail Categorization sorts your messages to help you prioritize the most important messages. Digest view groups all of the messages from one sender into a single bundle for easy browsing

Control Center Customisation

The Control Center has been redesigned for easier customisation, allowing quick access to frequently used controls and settings.

Safari Updates

Safari introduces Profiles to separate browsing activities like work and personal, keeping history, cookies, extensions, Tab Groups, and favorites distinct. Private Browsing enhancements include locking private windows when not in use and blocking known trackers from loading.

Passwords App

The new Passwords app securely stores and manages your passwords, offering features like password sharing with trusted contacts and two factor authentication verification code AutoFill from Mail into Safari without a separate authenticator app.

Maps Improvements

Offline Maps enable users to select areas for access, allowing search and exploration without a Wi-Fi or mobile signal. Electric vehicle routing improvements provide routes based on real-time charger availability for supported chargers. Hikes are available in U.S. national parks only but you can create walking and hiking routes for hikes in your locality or regular exercise routines, walking tours while on vacation, and so on.

FaceTime Enhancements

FaceTime now allows users to leave video or audio messages when someone doesn't pick up. Additionally, FaceTime calls can be enjoyed on Apple TV by using your iPhone as a camera.

Journal App

The new Journal app offers a personalised way to reflect on your life, combining photos, music, and more into journal entries.

Voice Memos

Voice Memos now include enhanced recording features and organisational tools, making it easier to capture and manage audio notes.