Everything You Need to Know About the Latest iOS 18 Enhancements

The 2024 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), inaugurated by CEO Tim Cook on June 10, delivered an array of significant software updates and introductions. This prominent event, cherished by developers and Apple enthusiasts alike, continued its tradition of unveiling the latest advancements in Apple’s operating systems.

Key announcements included the next iterations of software for various Apple devices: iOS 18 for iPhones, iPadOS 18 for iPads, macOS Sequoia for Macs, watchOS 11 for Apple Watch, and tvOS 18 for Apple TV.

In addition to these updates, Apple unveiled a groundbreaking AI system called Apple Intelligence. This new technology is designed to enhance the functionality of apps across iPhones, iPads, and Macs, offering users a more integrated and intelligent experience.

Numerous updates about iOS 18 were unveiled at the event. Additionally, several announcements were made concerning Apple’s broader future plans and innovations.

IOS 18 is a major release this year, bringing many new features. The Home Screen now offers more controls, allowing users to customize their iPhones even more.

Besides wallpapers, icons, and widgets, users can now arrange apps and widgets to better frame their wallpapers, such as placing them to the side or just above the dock for easier access.
Additionally, there’s a new look for Dark mode, as widely rumoured.

In iOS 18, swiping down from the top right opens the control centre, where you can now navigate through different groups of controls, like media playback.
All your home controls are displayed on one page, and developers can add new controls for you to pin. This update provides easier access to key features, with a focus on media and smart home controls.

iOS 18 includes a feature that enables users to hide selected apps, enhancing privacy by keeping them discreet and out of view on their devices. This allows for a more personalized and secure user experience.

Apple introduced several new features for Messages.
Users can now bold, underline, and italicise text. iMessage also gets scheduled messaging.
New text effects like jitter, shake, and bounce are available.

Jitter: Text rapidly vibrates to catch attention.
Shake: Text moves back and forth for emphasis.
Bounce: Text rises and falls, creating a dynamic effect.

Additionally, satellite messaging support is included for iPhone 14 and later models.
Also, scheduling of messages has been made easier and more efficient.

Would you like to create personalised emojis? Simply describe what you envision, such as relaxing with cucumber slices in your eyes, and a custom emoji will be designed based on your description.

In addition to personalised emojis, there’s a groundbreaking feature that empowers users to design custom images according to their desires. Whether celebrating a friend’s birthday or commemorating special occasions, this innovative tool allows you to provide specific commands to create unique images.

The Mail app is improving its categorization features.
A new “digest” email will compile messages from specific businesses for easy scanning.

It will introduce a Primary category for sorting emails from known senders and timely messages.

Additionally, the app will sort emails into categories like shopping and promotions. These features will be available later this year.

You can specify the changes you’d like to see in the email and indicate the type of content you prefer, such as friendly, professional, or concise. This will guide the creation of content that meets your desired style and effectively communicates the information you wish to convey.

Want to check if there are any errors in your content?

There is a new feature designed to enhance content quality by offering proofreading capabilities, minimising errors and ensuring polished text. This tool aims to make the editing process more efficient, improving overall accuracy and readability.

A newly introduced feature on iOS simplifies content summarization, enabling users to extract key points effortlessly. This feature enhances productivity by condensing information into concise summaries, facilitating easier comprehension and efficient information retention.

Design intricate architectural models effortlessly using your iPad. Simply sketch your vision and provide detailed commands to refine it. The technology translates your inputs into precise models, revolutionising the design process with ease and accuracy.

The Photos app is undergoing a major redesign. Users can now filter out screenshots and search for specific types of content.
Below the photo grid, there will be “Collections,” which automatically group photos by criteria like recent days or specific people. Additionally, users can easily revisit trips through these collections.

Ron Huang, VP of Sensing, announced new Siri updates aimed at enhancing user convenience and interaction.

Now, accessing Siri is simpler than ever. Users can respond to Siri with a nod or shake to indicate “yes” or “no” without speaking aloud. This feature is especially useful during calls, allowing for discreet and intuitive communication.

The new Siri update includes a feature where you can respond to calls using head gestures. For example, if someone calls you, Siri will announce in your AirPods, “You have an incoming call. Do you want to answer it?” If you nod your head to indicate “yes,” Siri will pick up the call. If you shake your head to indicate “no,” Siri will decline the call. This allows for hands-free and discreet call management, making it easier to respond to calls without needing to speak aloud.

These updates collectively enhance the hands-free and seamless experience of using Siri and AirPods Pro.

Siri now offers expanded functionality beyond basic queries, integrating seamlessly with various apps to provide comprehensive answers. For instance, asking, “What is the timing of my mother’s flight?” prompts Siri to connect with messaging or other relevant apps to retrieve real-time information. This enhanced capability enables Siri to fetch specific details from linked apps, offering users a more interactive and interconnected experience.

Now, Apple introduces the ability to chat directly with Siri. This feature allows users to engage in interactive conversations, getting instant responses and assistance on a wide range of topics. Enjoy the convenience of 24/7 availability for quick answers whenever you need them.

Apple is introducing Insight, a feature within the Apple TV app that provides real-time details like actor names and song titles while watching Apple Original shows.

Users can seamlessly add music from Insight to their Apple Music playlists. Additionally, dialogue enhancement, powered by machine learning, is expanding to more receivers and speakers for clearer audio. Subtitles are also improving with a new setting focused on enhancing dialogue. These updates enhance the viewing experience, offering greater convenience and engagement for Apple TV users.

Apple introduces watchOS 11 for Apple Watch, transforming it into more than just a fitness device, but a lifestyle companion. A new Health app will allow users to easily monitor vital health metrics like heart rate. Additionally, watchOS 11 offers new watch faces, including features to help users find the best photos for their watch face and suggest colors and themes. Additionally, Smart Stack now supports live activities and automatically adds new widgets when needed, such as for checking precipitation before rain.

Exciting news for iPad users!
With the release of iPadOS 18, Apple is introducing the long-awaited Calculator app. Similar in appearance to the iOS calculator on iPhones, this app also supports the Apple Pencil. Users can now write down math problems, and the app, equipped with the Math Notes feature, will solve them.

At WWDC 2024, Apple unveiled the macOS 15 Sequoia, introducing several exciting features. One notable addition is iPhone mirroring, allowing users to control their iPhones directly from their Macs. This feature ensures that the iPhone remains locked and in Stand By mode while mirrored.
Additionally, macOS now offers automatic window tiling for enhanced productivity.
Safari has also been updated with new features, such as highlights and Viewer mode for on-page video content.

Apple places a strong emphasis on user privacy, ensuring that personal data remains protected at all times. This commitment extends to agreements with services like ChatGPT, where strict provisions are in place to prevent any data breaches or compromises of user privacy.

Apple’s latest innovation, Apple Intelligence, is a groundbreaking addition to the iPhone, iPad, and Mac ecosystems, integrating advanced generative models across all devices.

This innovation is designed to enhance user experience significantly while maintaining the utmost priority on privacy, with end-to-end encryption and on-device processing ensuring that sensitive data remains secure. On iPhones, Apple Intelligence brings smarter notification management, prioritizing alerts based on the user’s habits, context, and preferences.

Seamlessly integrating across all apps, Apple Intelligence can execute a wide range of actions with simple commands, making multitasking more efficient and intuitive. For example, you can say, “I went on a fishing trip with my kid. Take all the images from that trip and create a video story from when our journey started to when it ended, and add some music.”

This showcases the advanced capabilities of Siri in handling complex tasks. This comprehensive suite of features is designed to boost productivity and ensure a smoother, more intuitive user experience.

A major focus of discussion is the enhancement of privacy and security for iPhones through the introduction of private cloud computing. This innovative feature ensures that user requests are processed either on-device or in the cloud based on what is necessary. With Private Cloud Compute, the cloud is cryptographically locked to users’ iPhones, guaranteeing that software cannot run unless it can be inspected thoroughly, thus providing an extra layer of protection.

Moreover, on-device AI serves to link various features of the new system. However, in tasks requiring extensive data or complex parameters, Apple may prompt the user to engage with ChatGPT. This ensures that user privacy is maintained as Apple will not share any data with ChatGPT without user consent. Furthermore, GPT won’t be able to create virtual profiles of the user, aligning with Apple’s commitment to prioritise user privacy and data security.

The Passwords app consolidates all your critical credentials, including passwords, verifications, and security alerts, into one secure location. It employs advanced encryption techniques to ensure the safety of your sensitive data. With this app, you can conveniently access and manage your digital identity essentials, eliminating the hassle of scattered passwords and security concerns. Enjoy peace of mind knowing that your credentials are securely stored and easily accessible whenever you need them.

By minimzing background activity, Game Mode ensures that your device can sustain consistently high frame rates, providing hours of smooth and uninterrupted gameplay. Not only does Game Mode enhance performance, but it also optimizes the response time of your Air Pods and wireless game controllers.

Say goodbye to audio lag and hello to crystal-clear sound and lightning-fast controller response times.

With Game Mode, you’ll experience gaming like never before, with improved performance and heightened immersion.

VP Mike Rockwell began his presentation with impressive statistics: over 2,000 Vision Pro apps and 1.5 million compatible iPhone and iPad apps are now available. He officially announced visionOS 2, which brings several exciting features.

The Photos app now includes Spatial Photos, allowing users to transform 2D images into 3D spatial photos. Additionally, visionOS 2 enables users to use SharePlay for viewing Spatial Photos and panoramas with others. The update also introduces new UI integrations and simplifies the creation of new spatial content, such as Spatial Videos.

Apple’s new Apple Intelligence update will be launched on the iPhone 15 Pro, as well as all devices powered by the M1 chip or newer, including iPads and Mac computers. For mobile devices, the chip must be A17 Bionic or newer to support the update. This means that a variety of Apple users will have access to the latest features and improvements offered by Apple Intelligence.

In conclusion, the unveiling of iOS 18 marks a significant milestone for Apple’s ecosystem, promising a wide range of new features and improvements.
From enhanced Siri functionality to a redesigned Photos app and the introduction of Apple Intelligence, users can anticipate a more intuitive and seamless experience across their devices. With updates tailored to enhance convenience, productivity, and privacy, iOS 18 demonstrates Apple’s commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction. As Apple continues to push boundaries and evolve its operating system, the future looks promising for iPhone and iPad users worldwide.