iOS 18: Biggest Updates and Features
Authored By: Mohit Prathipati — Editorial Co-Director, NexStudent Network
Releasing later this year, iOS 18 has people excited already. Apple announced iOS 18 last month at the World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC). Every iPhone from iPhone XR is compatible with iOS 18, and Apple is expected to release it this fall. Here are some of the major updates.
Customization
Users can finally customize their app icon for the first time in years. Customization allows users to rearrange the home screen layout and choose a new look for their app’s icon with custom or suggested colors. Additionally, Apple is adding an in-built lock feature. This feature can request a password or Face ID and hide an app without requiring any third-party apps.
Control Panel, Photos, and iMessage
Another great update is the newly designed control panel. The new control panel allows the users to scroll down to different control tabs with a single swipe. The Control Gallery allows users to rearrange and customize the widgets in the control panel. On top of that, iMessage and Photos are also getting new features. The newly-organized libraries in the Photos app can help users find photos much faster with a much cleaner look. The iMessage app allows one to express emotions with bold, italic, underline, and many more effects. Users can now text via satellite without needing Wi-Fi or even cellular service (iPhone 14 and later). Furthermore, iMessage is getting the Send Later feature, which is a prominent feature when someone wants to schedule a message to send at a particular time. What a lifesaver!
Siri
In addition to these fabulous features, Apple is introducing “Hands-free Siri interaction”. With this feature, users can now respond to Siri using AirPods with a nod or a head shake. How cool is that? Siri can do much more than that. With Siri’s new redesign, it feels more connected to the user. When someone is in a place requiring silence, they can just ask Siri by typing! Making mistakes while talking is pretty common, but Siri will still understand, thanks to its “Richer Language Understanding”! Users can now command vacuum robots to clean the floors and view the electricity bill just by asking Siri!
For the writers
Here are some updates for the writers. Notes app now has audio transcription, which means users no longer have to write down what they are thinking (iPhone 12 and later). They can just say it out loud! Notes app also auto-calculates numbers written in the app. Furthermore, users can highlight notes with color and organize long notes using the new collapsible sections feature in the Notes app. With the writing widgets in the Journal app, users can sort and search their past entries with a specific word.
Privacy and Security
Privacy and Security is a really big notion at Apple. Now, it’s at an even higher level with the redesigned privacy and security features settings menu bar. Tap to Cash feature on the Wallet app lets users transfer money privately just by bringing their devices close! Users can now restrict the sharing of contacts with an app to specific contacts of their choice. Pairing Bluetooth devices can now be done privately while securing data.
Accessibility and more
One of the coolest features is Eye Tracking from the accessibility setting. Users can control their iPhones just with their eyes (iPhone 12 and later)! People who have a hard time listening can still enjoy listening to music with haptics powered by the iPhone Taptic Engine. The calendar app is now syncing with Reminders to view all the reminders and the calendar with just one widget. The calculator app can now access all the math from Notes. It also received a redesign that added a built-in scientific calculator, conversions, and much more! Apple Fitness+ can now personalize workouts and meditations just for the users right away. The Phone app can record and transcribe a call on the spot.
Apple Intelligence
Last but definitely not the least, Apple Intelligence, is the most anticipated feature in iOS 18. There is so much to talk about, but here are some of the finest features of Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro and later). It can prioritize emails, create movies with Photos, and enhance tapback in iMessage. With the powers of ChatGPT, Apple Intelligence can generate custom emojis in seconds. It can summarize long pages of text fast. And with the help of its new writing tools, it can help boost writers while composing emails or even just some text.
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