Apple just revealed 82% of all iPhones now run iOS 18, and it highlights a critical difference with Android

This continues to be one of the biggest differentiators between Apple and its competitors on Android. The latest statistics published by Apple were shared a few days before developers descend on its spaceship-like Apple Park headquarters in California to find out about the next versions of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS at its WWDC conference.

It also comes a few days after Google offered a sneak peek at its next major version of Android, which it promised will be the "biggest update in years". Samsung has confirmed plans to adopt many of these features in its next release.

But it could be years before Android users enjoy the new advances introduced with Android 16.

According to Statcounter, a meagre 10% of all Android devices worldwide are currently using Android 15 ...despite that version being due to be superseded by Android 16 in a matter of weeks.

As such, it could be a while before your Android handset is updated with the features introduced with Android 15, let alone the shiny new design coming with its successor.

Which iPhone models can install iOS 18?

iOS 18 will be available as a free update to anyone with an iPhone Xs or newer. That means any iPhone that's capable of running iOS 17 is eligible to upgrade. Here's the complete list:

• iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max
• 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, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max
• iPhone XR
• iPhone SE (2nd generation)
• iPhone SE (3rd generation)

However, that's only half of the story as any Apple Intelligence features will be limited to iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max due to the on-device processing required to crunch requests.

Other handsets will be able to install and upgrade to iOS 18, but will miss-out on these crucial AI functionality.

3 of the biggest new features in iOS 18

There was a truckload of features included in the iOS 18 release, with many of the incoming tweaks focused on allowing iPhone owners to further customise their handset.

For the first time, iPhone owners will be able to place app icons anywhere on the invisible grid on the Home Screen — with Apple no longer forcing users to stack software from left-to-right, starting in the top-left of the screen. There's also a new way to adjust the tint of app icons and you can hide applications completely from the Home Screen — with apps only appearing with a Face ID check to verify your identity.

1. Home Screen

iOS 18 makes a fundamental change to the appearance of the iOS. Since the arrival of the very first iPhone, apps have been stubbornly fixed to a strict grid. As you installed new applications, the software would automatically fill-out the invisible grid, starting at the top-left and ending in the bottom-right of the screen.

But that's all changed with iOS 18.

iPhone owners will be able to place their app icons anywhere in the grid, so you can position your applications and folders in the lower-third of the Home Screen to make them easily reachable, or down the left- or right-hand side of the screen to avoid covering a face in your wallpaper.

Aside from customisation, Apple has added new functionality to services like Journal, Apple Maps, Apple TV, and more. But it's the Photos app that has enjoyed the biggest overhaul, with an entirely new design that ditches the tabs running along the bottom of the screen for a one-stop-shop approach.

There's even an entirely new Passwords app to help store your login credentials for online subscriptions, apps, and websites across the web.

With so much bundled into a single annual iOS update, we've decided to highlight three of the biggest new additions coming to your iPhone with the free upgrade on September 16.

Interactive Widgets, launched in late 2020, can also be placed anywhere on the Home Screen with iOS 18.

And that's not the end of customisation.

When you switch to Dark Mode, Apple will automatically darken the colours used in app icons. If an application has a white background — like the Californian company's own Photos app, for example — this will be switched to black, lowering the glare from everything on-screen.

You'll also be able to tweak the tint of every app icon. Apple will let you customise the shade of each app icon. By default, iOS 18 will pick a colour that complements the shades in your wallpaper, but you're able to choose whatever you like from a colour picker. The custom colour shade will be applied to all of your apps.

As you install new applications onto your iPhone, the app icon will be tweaked to match your chosen colour.

And if there's an application that isn't fitting with the rest of the Home Screen, then you can remove it completely. That way, you'll be able to hand your iPhone to friends or family and guarantee they won't be able to dive into everything on the device.

When an application is hidden, you'll no longer receive notifications and texts, emails, and other content from inside the app will not appear in search or other places across the system. If you want to retrieve your hidden apps, you'll need to swipe to the App Library, scroll to the bottom of the list where you'll find a new "Hidden" icon, and then authenticate with a Face ID or Touch ID scan.

2. Control Centre

This dropdown menu of shortcuts, accessed with a downward swipe from the top right-hand corner of the display, has been completely redesigned with new circular buttons and spread-out over multiple pages. Like the new Home Screen, customisation is the name of the game here — iPhone owners can now move and resize all of these new controls. Like the Home Screen, multiple controls can be grouped into folders.

For the first time, Control Centre now supports shortcuts from third-party applications and services too — so you can unlock your car door or launch a feature from your favourite social media app with a quick tap.

Swiping down on the main Control Centre page will show a second screen dedicated to playback controls for music, podcasts and music, while Apple has added a third dedicated only to shortcuts for smart home controls.

3. Photos

Apple says iOS 18 includes the "biggest redesign ever" for its Photos app. The application ditches the familiar layout for a new split view that combines the familiar grid of photos with shortcuts to new collections where you'll be able to browse by themes without having to organize content into dedicated albums.

A new carousel shows highlights of favourite people, pets, places, and more. This will be refreshed every day. Unlike the previous version of Photos, Apple has designed the new app to be customisable, so you can reorder and pin collections based on what's most important to you.