iOS 18: New Features, Launch Date, and Compatible Devices

At WWDC 2024, Apple unveiled the next-generation iOS 18, marking the most significant software update for the iPhone to date. iOS 18 introduces a host of impressive features, including customizable home and lock screens, a revamped Control Center, a redesigned Photos app, a new Passwords app, and much more. If you’re eager to learn about the new features, release date, and supported devices for iOS 18, we’ve got all the details covered. Let’s dive in!

iOS 18 Features

1. Personalised iOS 18 Home Screen

After 17 years, Apple has finally introduced a redesigned and more customizable home screen experience with iOS 18. This long-awaited feature provides iPhone users with greater control over the arrangement of app icons on the home screen. Although app icons will continue to adhere to an invisible grid system for consistency, users can now create blank spaces, columns, and rows between icons. This allows more of the wallpaper to be visible, enhancing the overall aesthetic of the home screen.

Additionally, iOS 18 offers a new feature where app icons can have a dark or tinted appearance. You can set the icons to display in dark or light mode, or they can automatically switch based on your iPhone’s Dark Mode settings.

2. Customizable Lock Screen Controls

One standout feature in iOS 18 is the capability to personalize the lock screen controls on my iPhone. You can now swap out the default controls for other options, such as Shortcuts, a QR code scanner, the Calculator app, or Dark Mode. This means I can finally remove the Flashlight icon from the lock screen to avoid accidentally turning it on.

3. Lock & Hide Apps

The latest iOS 18 introduces a highly requested feature: the ability to lock individual apps on an iPhone. Apple now provides two new methods to protect sensitive apps and their related data when someone else is using your device. You can lock an app using Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode. Once locked, no information from the app will appear in other places across the system, including Search, Siri, and Notifications, ensuring your sensitive information remains secure.

Moreover, if you wish to hide an app on your iPhone, you can relocate it to a hidden apps folder, which can be secured with a lock.

4. Revamped Control Center with a new Controls Gallery

The next-generation iOS 18 introduces a significant update to the Control Center, featuring new groups of controls and the ability to swipe down on the home screen to access different Control Center screens. The Controls Gallery now showcases all your options in one convenient location, including new controls from Music, Home, and your favorite apps. You can rearrange or resize controls and even create your own custom group controls, ensuring everything you need is just a swipe away.

5. New Passwords app

As expected, Apple has transformed its password keychain feature into a comprehensive Passwords app. With this dedicated app in iOS 18, it’s now easier to store all your account passwords, passkeys, Wi-Fi passwords, and other credentials in one place. All data is protected with end-to-end encryption, ensuring that your passwords are synchronized across all your Apple devices. So, if you change your Netflix password on your iPhone, it will automatically update on your iPad and Mac as well.

6. Redesigned Photos app

Cherishing old memories is wonderful, but navigating a large photo library can be challenging. Thankfully, iOS 18 introduces the biggest redesign to the Photos app, making it easier to find specific photos. The app now includes Collections, which organizes your entire photo library into themes such as Recent Days, Trips, and People & Pets. With everything at your fingertips, searching for photos is much easier and quicker in iOS 18.

7. Enhanced Messaging: RCS, Tapbacks, Text Effects, and More

The Messages app received a significant upgrade with iOS 18. Now, you can schedule messages to be sent later, react to messages with a wider range of Tapbacks, and apply animated effects to individual words, phrases, or emojis. Additionally, you can bold, underline, italicize, or strikethrough text to emphasize your messages.

iOS 18 also introduces RCS (Rich Communication Services) to iPhones, enabling smooth communication between iPhone and Android users. That’s not all—if you own an iPhone 14 or later, you can send and receive messages via satellite connectivity. This feature is incredibly useful for staying connected with family and friends even when there’s no cellular or Wi-Fi service.

8. Tap to Cash

The iOS 18 update introduces a new payment method with Apple Pay called Tap to Cash. As the name suggests, this feature allows you to pay for things by simply tapping two iPhones together, without needing to exchange phone numbers or email addresses. This is similar to the iOS 17 feature NameDrop, which lets users exchange contacts by bringing their devices close together.

Apple Wallet also received several upgrades, including support for displaying rewards or points balances in Apple Pay. Additionally, redesigned event tickets now provide helpful venue information, such as concert seat numbers and shortcuts for directions.

9. Record and Transcribe phone calls

iOS 18 introduces a feature that allows iPhone users to record calls through the Phone app, providing an official way to do so. You can enable call recording during or after making a call, and all participants are notified to ensure ethical recording practices. Moreover, your iPhone can generate a transcript of the recorded call and, with the assistance of Apple Intelligence, it can also produce a summary of the call’s main points.

10. Safari Gets Highlights & Redesigned Reader

Safari gets a range of new features and improvements with iOS 18. The new Highlights feature detects useful information on a webpage and highlights it, such as summaries, directions, or quick links for more information about people, movies, music, and TV shows.

Additionally, Safari’s Reader mode has been redesigned and made smarter. It now eliminates distractions for an improved reading experience and provides a table of contents for longer articles.

11. Game Mode

iOS 18 introduces Game Mode to iPhones for the first time ever. This mode minimizes background activity to ensure consistent FPS for improved gameplay.It also decreases audio latency and improves responsiveness with game controllers and AirPods. Game Mode is set to be a standout feature for gamers in iOS 18.

12. AirPods and Hands-free Siri Interactions

iOS 18 has made Siri interactions on AirPods Pro 2 much simpler and engaging. You can now nod your head yes or gently shake your head to respond to Siri, which is particularly useful when you’re traveling or need to respond to Siri quietly while your baby is sleeping. Additionally, iOS 18 brings Voice Isolation to AirPods Pro, enhancing the audio experience.

13. Native App Updates

iOS 18 brings several updates to the Calculator app, including a new Math Notes calculator, unit conversion, history features, and a portrait orientation for the scientific calculator.

The Notes app in iOS 18 has also been significantly improved. It now supports recording voice memos that can be embedded in notes. Additionally, you can perform more complex mathematical equations directly in your notes by simply entering an expression, which will be solved as you type.

In the Mail app, iOS 18 automatically categorizes your emails to help prioritize messages. The Primary category contains your most important emails, while the rest are organized into categories like Transactions, Promotions, and Updates.

iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia introduce Topographic Maps to Apple Maps, featuring trail networks and hikes, including all 63 U.S. national parks. Users can save maps for offline access with turn-by-turn voice guidance. The iOS 18 update also adds a Google Maps-like feature to Apple Maps, allowing users to create custom routes.

Furthermore, the Calendar app now integrates with Reminders, allowing users to view and interact with their reminders directly within the Calendar app.

Apple has announced improvements to the Journal app for iPhone users with iOS 18. The update allows users to log their state of mind and track their goals with insight views. Additionally, users can now search within the Journal and sort their older entries.

iOS 18 also features a redesigned Privacy & Security settings menu, making it easier to manage the information shared with apps.

The update includes improvements to the Apple TV app, Home app, SharePlay, Apple Fitness+, and Freeform.

14. iOS 18 Accessibility Features

Apple has announced new accessibility features that will be included in upcoming software updates like iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and visionOS 2. One of the most notable features is Eye Tracking, a feature of Apple Vision Pro that will allow iPhone and iPad users to navigate their devices using only their eyes. This feature is designed to assist users with physical disabilities, enabling them to control their devices simply by looking at them. Eye Tracking will work across iOS and iPadOS apps, and no additional hardware or accessories are required.

Another new feature announced is Music Haptics, which will enable the Taptic Engine in the iPhone to play taps, vibrations, and textures to the audio of music. This feature is aimed at users with hearing impairments, allowing them to enjoy music in a way that was not previously possible.

The Vocal Shortcuts feature in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 will enable users to assign custom phrases for Siri to launch shortcuts and perform complex tasks.

Additionally, a new Vehicle Motion Cues option will be introduced to help reduce motion sickness for passengers in moving vehicles. Motion sickness commonly arises from a sensory conflict between visual perception and physical sensations.

15. CarPlay upgrades

Apple has expanded accessibility features on CarPlay with several new offerings. First is Voice Control, which allows users to navigate CarPlay and control apps using their voice. The Sound Recognition feature helps drivers or passengers who are deaf or hard of hearing by enabling alerts for car horns. Moreover, the Color Filters feature helps individuals with color blindness by enhancing the CarPlay interface with bold and large texts, making it easier to use.

iOS 18 Release Date

Apple unveiled iOS 18 on June 10, alongside iPadOS 18, macOS 15 Sequoia, and other software updates. The first developer beta for iOS 18 was released immediately after the WWDC 2024 keynote event. The first public beta is expected to be available in late June or early July, followed by a few weeks of public beta testing. The final, polished version of iOS 18 is scheduled to arrive in September, coinciding with the launch of the new iPhone 16 series.

iOS 18 Supported Devices

As expected, iOS 18 supports every iPhone model that was supported by iOS 17, including the iPhone XR, XS, XS Max, and newer models.

Here is the full list of devices supported by iOS 18:

Additionally, the iPhone 16 lineup will come with iOS 18 pre-installed.

It’s important to note that while several iPhone models are supported by iOS 18, not all of them are compatible with Apple Intelligence. To utilize Apple Intelligence, at least an A17 chipset or M-Series chips (on iPads and Macs) are required. Therefore, Apple Intelligence is exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, as well as all models of the iPhone 16 lineup. If you have an older model, you may need to upgrade to use all AI features.

That covers everything you need to know about iOS 18. Which feature of iOS 18 are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments below!