Apple iOS 18 introduces new features that allow iPhone users to deeply personalize their devices and enhance their everyday experiences.
Home Screen and Control Center
The Home Screen and Control Center now offer even more customization options, letting users arrange app icons and widgets to suit their preferences.
They can also choose from light, dark, or tinted styles, and even make app icons larger for a streamlined appearance.
The redesigned Control Center groups important controls together, including media playback, Home controls, and third-party apps, making access just a swipe away.
Users can also now manage controls on the Lock Screen and use the Action button for quick access.
Photos
One of the biggest updates is to Photos, with a major redesign that makes finding and reliving special moments easier.
The new layout brings a unified view of the photo library, with automatic collections like “Recent Days,” “People & Pets,” and “Trips” that use on-device intelligence to organize memories. Users can also personalize their layout and pin favorite collections for quick access.
Messages & Mail
In Messages, new formatting options, text effects, and enhanced Tapbacks bring conversations to life, while the ability to send a message via satellite ensures communication even without a cellular connection.
Messages also now support RCS for better media and group messaging with non-Apple users. The Phone app has been upgraded with live call recording and transcription, making it easier to capture important details during conversations.
Mail introduces intelligent categorization later this year, allowing users to group messages into Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions categories.
A new digest view also gathers emails from businesses, helping users stay on top of important information at a glance.
Safari
Safari gets more intelligent with Highlights, which surfaces key details like addresses and movie summaries as you browse.
The redesigned Reader feature enhances long articles with a summary and table of contents, while Distraction Control helps hide unnecessary elements like sign-in banners on webpages.
Passwords
iOS 18 also introduces a new app called Passwords, which simplifies the management of credentials like passwords, passcodes, and verification codes.
End-to-end encryption ensures security, and users will be alerted if their password is weak or has appeared in data breaches.
Privacy
Privacy remains a priority, with users gaining more control over how their apps and contacts are shared. Apps can be locked or hidden for additional privacy, and users can manage specific contacts shared with apps.
Apple Intelligence
A key feature coming next month is Apple Intelligence, which blends generative models with personal context to deliver smart, relevant information while maintaining privacy.
This system will bring writing tools for refining text across apps, intelligent photo search, and advanced call transcription features.
Siri also benefits from Apple Intelligence, becoming more natural and capable of maintaining context across tasks.
Other Features
Additional features in iOS 18 include offline hiking routes in Apple Maps, a new Game Mode for better gaming performance, updates to Apple Pay, and enhanced audio capabilities in AirPods. Later this fall, AirPods Pro 2 will gain over-the-counter hearing aid functionality.
Meanwhile, the Health app sees improvements for pregnancy data, Medical ID updates, and new features in Apple Fitness+.
With iOS 18, users also get accessibility enhancements like Eye Tracking for hands-free navigation, Music Haptics for feeling music vibrations, and new features in CarPlay to make driving more accessible for everyone.
Apple iOS 18 Compatible Devices
Here are the list of iOS 18 compatible devices:
- iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max
- iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max
- iPhone XS, XS Max, XR
- iPhone SE (2nd generation or later)
You can now find the latest iOS 18 update in your Settings under your profile. Please note that the update requires a minimum of 8.51 GB of available storage. Are you ready to upgrade your iPhone?