New iPhone features worth watching at WWDC

Main points

• iOS 18 is expected to be released in September 2024, with WWDC 24 likely to announce its features in June 2024 and launch a public beta in July 2024.
• Rumor has it that iOS 18 will focus on artificial intelligence, with improvements expected to Siri, Messages, and other native Apple apps like Apple Music and Pages.
• iPhone compatibility with iOS 18 is uncertain, but iPhone XS and XS Max and iPhone XR may not be compatible.

It’s been a few months since iOS 17 first hit iPhone models, and there are now a lot of rumors about what’s next for the iPhone’s hardware and software. We’ve covered rumors about the iPhone 16 separately, but here we’re focusing on rumors about upcoming features in the iPhone software.

The next major software release is expected to be iOS 18, and from the sounds of it, we can expect the focus to be on artificial intelligence – something we’ve seen a lot of discussion about recently from the likes of Google, ChatGPT, Microsoft and Qualcomm. Here’s everything we’ve heard about iOS 18, including when we can expect it to be released, what features it might offer, and which iPhones it’s expected to be compatible with.

When is iOS 18 expected to be released?

Apples are creatures of habit, so we can make some educated guesses

Assuming Apple follows the same release pattern of the past few years, we expect to hear more official information about iOS 18 at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference. Typically, WWDC (as it’s often referred to) is held in early June, and this year is no exception. The company has confirmed June 10 as the date marked on our calendars, with a special event planned at Apple Park.

During this keynote, Apple showcased all the new features in the next major software releases for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. We’re also expected to see the first major revision of VisionOS, which powers the company’s new Vision Pro headphones.

Of course, it’s only when Apple details upcoming features in the next version of iOS at WWDC that the final version of the software typically won’t be released until next September when new iPhone models are released. In past years, public betas have rolled out around July, and if that’s the case in 2024 (which we expect it to be), this might be the first time you’re able to try out some of the new iOS 18 features. Nothing is confirmed yet, but our best guess at the moment is as follows:

• July 2024: iOS 18 public beta released
• September 2024: iOS 18 final software release

What features are rumored to be coming to iOS 18?

So far, many of the rumors surrounding iOS 18 seem to be targeting the same message: artificial intelligence.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who typically has a strong track record for handling Apple leaks, said iOS 18 “is even more interesting than usual as the company races to “catch up with Google and OpenAI in generative artificial intelligence.” ​​Important”. He went on to add that “iOS 18 is poised to bring this type of technology to iPhone,” and that it would have to be a decent upgrade to offset the lack of hardware advancements expected for the iPhone 16 models.

iOS 18 is expected to have “major new features and design,” as well as “security and performance improvements,” Gurman said, claiming that sources within Apple described the upcoming operating system as “ambitious and compelling.”

However, Gurman has not revealed specific details yet, saying only that generative AI (the kind used by ChatGPT and Copilot) will appear in iOS 18. He also mentioned that it should “improve Siri and the Messages app to answer questions and automatically complete sentences,” and said Apple has also been testing generative AI features with other apps such as Apple Music and Pages.

Elsewhere, Apple is rumored to be investing in artificial intelligence servers, and the company is also rumored to be planning to integrate large language models into Siri. For example, this is what ChatGPT is trained on, which could theoretically make Siri respond more like humans. For example, there’s talk of deeper integration with the Shortcuts app, which could mean Siri will be able to automate some of the more complex tasks you can set up in Shortcuts. There are also some examples, such as asking to create a GIF from your five most recent photos, although we suspect there will be other use cases, hopefully like Google’s Magic Editor.

Other recent rumors suggest Apple could form a partnership with rival tech giant Google to use Gemini as the basis for upcoming AI features in iOS. Given Apple’s emphasis on user privacy in recent years, the company is in the precarious position of having to balance creating state-of-the-art large-scale language models with its existing commitment not to steal user data. according to.

RCS news finally arrives on iPhone

In terms of other features, Apple has confirmed that iOS will get support for RCS messaging this year, and now is the best time to introduce the protocol rather than the release of iOS 18.

“Later next year, we will add support for the RCS Universal Profile, a standard currently published by the GSM Association. We believe that the RCS Universal Profile will provide a better interoperability experience compared to SMS or MMS. This will “With iMessage, this will continue to provide Apple users with the best and most secure messaging experience,” an Apple spokesperson told Techradar last November.

The feature should provide a better cross-platform messaging experience when using iMessage. Currently, blue bubbles (which appear when you send messages between iPhones) allow for features like read receipts and typing indicators. When someone with an Android device sends a text message to an iPhone, a green bubble appears with the message and that’s it. No fancy features. RCS support should change this, although the green bubble itself won’t go away.

Another rumor that’s been circulating in recent weeks is that Apple will finally loosen its grip on the rigid home screen and icon grid. According to MacRumors, iOS 18 may finally allow us to place apps anywhere on the home screen without the system automatically aligning them to the top left corner.

Will iOS 18 bring us the rumored VisionOS-style redesign?

This will be the first version since iOS 7, which was released over 10 years ago

Ever since Apple announced and released its Vision Pro headphones earlier this year, there has been speculation about whether the company would port its VisionOS design language to other platforms. VisionOS is built on iOS’s modern visual design, with a glass-like surface and a distinct lack of skeuomorphism.

However, VisionOS does introduce additional depth to the interface, enhances lighting, and brings a new feel to various UI surfaces. For Apple, unifying its design language across platforms makes a lot of sense. If you choose to do so, iOS 18 may prove to be the biggest visual overhaul for the operating system since iOS 7 in 2013.

Which iPhones are expected to be compatible with iOS 18?

Like everything else here, it’s unclear which iPhones will be compatible with iOS 18. Of course, we can speculate, but we won’t know for sure until WWDC 24 which models will be compatible. With iOS 17 dropping support for the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X (all of which were released in 2017), it’s likely that iOS 18 will become the 2018 models.

If this is the case, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR will not be compatible. It’s also possible that, with iOS 17’s heavy cuts, Apple will give these older devices another year before they’re killed.

Currently, we suspect the following models will be compatible with iOS 18:

• iPhone 15
• iPhone 15 Plus
• iPhone 15 Pro
• iPhone 15 Pro Max
• iPhone 14
• iPhone 14 Plus
• iPhone 14 Pro
• iPhone 14 Pro Max
• iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11
• iPhone SE (2022)
• iPhone SE (2020)

Overall, iOS 18 sounds like a pretty big release for the iPhone. Rumors continue to swirl about how Apple will incorporate artificial intelligence into its operating system, how far the company is willing to open up the home screen to customization, and whether we might see a more extensive redesign like iOS 7. We won’t have to wait much longer, thankfully, as June 10th is just around the corner.