The New Features of iOS 18
Hello world, last week Apple announced the new version of their operating system for iPhone which will be publicly released in September. I am here to recap all its new exciting features. 🍏📱
First of all, if you want to see the entire keynote you can find it below:
Apple Intelligence
Probably you have already heard about Apple Intelligence, it is the hottest feature of iOS 18. It is not currently available in the developer's beta, but it should be released in beta this fall. The biggest difference between Apple Inteligence and all other generative models (e.g., ChatGPT) is that it will be based on your personal context. What does it mean? In brief, it means that all your data (i.e., messages, phone numbers, photos, etc..) will be used by the Apple's generative model to customize its behaviour and improve your user experience. Apple Intelligence will be able to do a lot of things, including (but not limited to) generate text, images, and prioritize your notifications.
To ensure the highest level of privacy possible, Apple introduced Private Cloud Compute which is a compute node powered by Apple Silicon with the same hardware security technologies used in iPhone (e.g., Secure Enclave and Secure Boot).
In addition to Apple Intelligence, ChatGPT will be integrated into Siri and systemwide to help users with their daily tasks. I have not found further details on this, but I will let you know if anything changes.
Apple Intelligence will be available exclusively on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad and Mac with at least M1.
New Control Center and Improved Customization
The control center has been completely redesigned to enhance the user experience, but also to allow users to easily customize it. Customization is now similar to the home screen, you can simply click on the plus button at the top left to add a new control item and customize the control center.
Users can also arrange apps and widgets on the home screen even by leaving some spaces and (weird but true) the color of the app icons can be customized to match your theme mode (i.e., white mode or dark mode) or your wallpaper.
Finally, iOS 18 lets you customize and replace the control buttons at the bottom of the lock screen.
Enhancements to System Apps
Here is a list of the most interesting system apps which have been redesigned/improved:
- Photos: It received the biggest redesign ever to help people to find and relive their special moments captured with iPhone.
- iMessage: Text effects and the possibility to send messages via satellite.
- Mail: New ways to categorize the emails.
- Safari: Highlights feature (i.e., automatic extraction of interesting information from a webpage) and new reader.
- Calendar: The new calendar combines events and tasks from Reminders and there is a new monthly view.
- Calculator: The history is now available and modes available (i.e., scientific and maths notes).
- Notes: Mathematical formulas and equations are now automatically solved.
- Apple Maps: Introduction of hikes and custom walking routes.
New Password App
The first password manager developed by Apple has been introduced. It allows you to organize passwords, passkeys, codes, and Wi-Fi keys.
Some interesting resources:
Have you installed the developer beta of iOS 18? Whether you're impressed, curious, or have suggestions, your feedback is invaluable. Dive into the discussion below and share your experiences and insights. What's your favorite new feature? Comment now and let's get the conversation started! 🤝