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iOS 18 unveiled: See key new features and changes coming with next iPhone operating system

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iOS 18 unveiled: See key new features and changes coming with next iPhone operating system

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Apple announced new features coming to iPhones via iOS 18 and the company’s AI-powered intelligence system called “Apple Intelligence” at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on Monday, including scheduled iMessages, interface customizability and one-of-a-kind emojis.

With iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence coming later this year, according to Apple executive Craig Federighi, iPhone users will have access to a smarter, more customizable and more powerful mobile operating system.

“We are just getting started, I hope you are as excited as I am about the road ahead,” Federighi said during Apple’s keynote at WWDC.

Here are some of the new features coming via iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence.

When is iOS 18 releasing? Which phones can use iOS 18?

Apple announced iOS 18 will debut this fall as a free download for iPhone Xs and later.

Enhanced home screen, control center customizability

When iPhone users unlock their devices, they are typically met by a wallpaper and a ton of apps. With iOS 18, users will be able to further customize their home screen in various ways, including by:

  • Putting app icons and widgets anywhere on the home screen grid.
  • Turning the iPhone on dark mode, which now changes app icons.
  • Changing the tint color of the home screen.

The control center is also more customizable as iPhone users will be able to group their favorite controls, including ones created by third-party apps. The flashlight and camera shortcuts on the lock screen will also be changeable.

Scheduled messages and more “tapback” reactions coming with iOS 18

The Messages app will have a lot of new features coming thanks to iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence, Apple leaders announced Monday.

Scheduled messages, emoji tapbacks and text effects were announced as improvements to the Message app. The text effects will allow users to visually amplify their messages, while emoji tapbacks are ways to respond to text messages more expressively.

Rich Communication Services (RCS) is another new edition to Messages coming via iOS 18 and the improvement will allow for smoother text messaging between iPhone and Android users.

Welcome, ‘Genmojis’

With the help of Apple Intelligence, users will be able to create custom “Genmoji” to match any moment. All users will have to do is provide a description and a Genmoji will appear, along with other options to choose from. Genmojis can also be added inline in messages.

Another feature available in Messages courtesy of Apple Intelligence is users’ ability to create “total original images” of people in sketch and animated forms. Apple used a contact’s birthday as an example, and a custom sketch was created and sent via the Messages app.

‘Biggest redesign ever’ to Photos

Photos is receiving its “biggest redesign ever” as the app will now be “unified to a single view.”

Filter options are coming to the app and users will able to search through photos by the month or year they were taken. Screenshots can also be filtered out.

A collections feature is now included and will allow users to browse through customizable sections. A carousel that updates daily is another feature that allows users to see their favorite photos in a new format.

Improved, more organized Mail app

The Mail app will be able to separate emails into sections to make users’ inboxes more organized.

Incoming email is separated into:

  • Primary for personal and time-sensitive emails
  • Transactions for confirmations and receipts
  • Updates for news and social notifications
  • Promotions for marketing emails and coupons

A new mail digest feature will also make skimming important emails easier.

Highlights and redesigned reader added to Safari

Safari will be able to make it easier to get the gist of articles or webpages quickly by finding key information and summarizing.

For example, Safari will summarize a long article for users or find the location of a restaurant just by its name appearing on a webpage.

Passwords app, improved privacy

The Passwords app will make it easier for users to store and access their passwords, passkeys, Wi-Fi passwords, and verification codes. The app will also tell users if their passwords are weak or have been used multiple times.

The iOS 18 update will also help users’ privacy by allowing them to hide apps and lock apps to where it would require a passcode or Face ID to open them.

Advanced Siri

Due to Apple Intelligence, Siri will be more advanced than ever by being able to:

  • Take actions inside apps on users’ behalf.
  • Answer thousands of questions when users want to know how to do something on their Apple devices.
  • Maintain conversational context so users don’t have to repeat certain things when scheduling events or sending messages.
  • Better understand demands, if even users stumble over words.
  • Take action when something new appears on the screen, such as updating a contact when a user receives text message containing a new address.
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