Apple has offered an early look at the next major update coming to iPhone later this year. Dubbed iOS 18, the new operating system will be available as a free download.
With iOS 18, iPhone owners will enjoy the "biggest ever" redesign to the Photos app, the ability to hide apps, change the colour of app icons and position them anywhere on-screen to make room for your wallpaper. In Messages, iPhone users will be able to schedule messages, while Apple will also support sending texts and reactions to messages via satellite, so you'll be able to stay in touch without Wi-Fi or mobile signal.
When Apple's own Apple Intelligence models can't handle a specific voice (or typed) request, then it will suggest sending the information to ChatGPT-4o from OpenAI. If you grant permission to share the information with ChatGPT (it will be deleted when the request has been processed) then it can process the task within the same Siri window APPLE PRESS OFFICE
iOS 18 adds the ability to lock specific apps with a Face ID scan, so you can pass your iPhone to a friend, family member, or colleague while keeping parts of your device — like the Health app, for example — locked.
For the first time, iPhone owners will be able to switch the two shortcuts on the Lock Screen too. Until now, these circular buttons been reserved for the torch and camera.
Elsewhere, iOS 18 brings some new wallpapers, a standalone password manager app, and a dedicated Game Mode that minimises background activity to you'll enjoy high frame rates for hours of gameplay.
If you're using iOS 17 on your iPhone at the moment, then you'll be able to upgrade to iOS 18 free of charge. The full list of iPhone models compatible with iOS 17 and iOS 18 are as follows:
- 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 does notmean that you'll get access to all of the features included in iOS 18. And the standout feature of this new wave of software updates, known as Apple Intelligence, will most likely be missing.
With its strong emphasis on privacy, Apple wants its Artificial Intelligence (AI) tasks to be processed on-device wherever possible. Unlike rival solutions like ChatGPT-4o and Google Gemini, it will use the Neural Engine built into Apple's custom-designed chipsets to crunch the numbers.
This decision should also make everything feel faster, since there's no need to wait for information to be sent to servers, processed, and then beamed back. However, it does mean that you'll need an iPhone 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max, which are the only handsets in the Apple line-up with an A17 Pro system-on-a-chip.
Undoubtedly, new iPhone models with speedy processors capable of handling all these on-device Apple Intelligence tasks will be in the works. But until then, only those with an iPhone 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max in their pocket will be able to take advantage of the full suite of Apple Intelligence features.
Many of the features built into iOS 18 will be coming to iPadOS 18 too. There's a long list of iPad models capable of updating to the new operating system — but as with iOS 18, Apple Intelligence features will be reserved for those models with an M1, M2, M3, or M4 processor.