Apple unveiled iOS 18 at its Worldwide Developers Conference 2024 keynote event on Monday. The tech giant announced the next iPhone operating system will include a lot of new features, like more ways to customize your home screen, an updated Photos app and much more. Apple said online the next operating system will be available to the general public this fall.
Developers can download iOS 18 now. We recommend downloading a beta only on something other than your primary device. Since this isn’t the final version of iOS 18, these features might be buggy and battery life may be short, and it’s best to keep those troubles on a secondary device.
Here’s what we know about all the new features and improvements iOS 18 could bring to your iPhone.
Customizable home and lock screens
While you’ve been able to customize your iPhone’s home and lock screens with widgets and different backgrounds, iOS 18 will let you customize your home screen’s apps and their layout, as well as your phone’s lock screen functions.
During WWDC, Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, showed how iOS 18 lets you arrange your iPhone’s apps and widgets on your home screen however you want. Previously, these icons would fill your home screen from top to bottom, sometimes obstructing backgrounds you might like. But iOS 18 should let you arrange your icons around your background, or in any way you want.
You can also easily customize the appearance of your app’s icons. You can give your icons a dark mode filter, or tint your icons to match your wallpaper.
Federighi also said iOS 18 will let you swap out the camera and flashlight functions on your iPhone’s lock screen. That way you aren’t accidentally turning on your iPhone’s flashlight on while putting it in your pocket — but you might open another app instead.
Updated Control Center
Apple also announced that iOS 18 also updates your iPhone’s Control Center. With the next operating system, you can access more controls for things, like whatever music you’re listening to and specific apps. You can also change which apps you see, as well as their size, so you have quicker access the buttons you use more often.
Lock and hide certain apps
Letting someone borrow your iPhone can be a nerve-wracking experience, especially if you don’t want them to see or access certain apps. But iOS 18 will allow you to lock and hide apps.
If someone is using your phone and you’ve locked an app, when they try to open that app, they’ll see a popup that says it can’t be accessed without secondary authentication. Locking an app can be done by long pressing on it and selecting the Require Face ID option (or Touch ID on the iPhone SE).
Not all apps can be locked, with Apple not providing an option for innocuous apps like Maps, Clock, Calculator, and Stocks, but almost every other app can be locked, including third-party apps. When you lock an app, you have the option to hide it as well, which moves it into a locked, hidden apps folder that requires authentication to open.
Locked or hidden apps are not only unable to be opened, but also hidden from search, notifications, and other places across the operating system.
Redesigned Photos app
If can be fun to look at memories in your Photos app, but navigating through the app can be challenging if you take a lot of photos. So Apple announced iOS 18 will redesign your iPhone’s Photos app.
The redesign should make it easier to find specific photos by organizing your photos in more ways, like month and year. Photos will also be organized by theme, so if you’re looking for photos from a trip, you should be able to find them faster.
The updated Photos app in iOS 18 will also let you filter out receipts and screenshots so they don’t clog up your Library.
New password manager app
Apple is turning its password keychain feature into a full-blown app, called Passwords. The Passwords app replaces iCloud Keychain, which is currently only accessible via a menu in Settings. Now, passwords are available directly via a standalone app for markedly quicker access, bringing it more in line with rival services.
The Passwords app consolidates various credentials, including passwords, passkeys, and Wi-Fi passwords, into a single, easily accessible location. Users can filter and sort their accounts based on various criteria, such as recently created accounts, credential type, or membership in shared groups.
Passwords is also compatible with Windows via the iCloud for Windows app, extending its utility to users who operate across different platforms.
Apple Intelligence — but only for certain iPhones
Apple announced that it’s rolling out Apple Intelligence in iOS 18. But on Apple’s website, the tech giant said these improvements will be available on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.
Apple intelligence will bring improvements to Siri to make the assistant more more capable and helpful, allow you to create new images called Genmojis and bring new writing tools and capabilities to those iPhones.
AirPods and hands-free Siri interactions
With iOS 18, if you’re wearing the second generation of AirPods Pro, you’ll be able to interact with Siri by nodding or shaking your head. So if you need to be quiet because the baby is sleeping, or your partner is on an important phone call, you can keep Siri working without saying a word.
Phone app gets new features
iOS 18 will let you automatically record and transcribe your live phone calls through the Phone app.
After answering a call or placing a call, you can enable recording. All call participants are notified that the call is being recorded, so there are no surprises and everyone is aware of the recording from the start. As the call is recorded, the iPhone is also able to provide a transcript.
The upcoming Apple Intelligence features can generate a summary of key points that were included in the call, so you can look back at what was important at a glance.
Other new features for the Phone app include a search interface for call history, autofill for a number when you start typing in digits, and the option to seamlessly switch SIM cards.
Messages gets an upgrade
Your iPhone’s Messages app will also get an update with iOS 18. With the next operating system, you’ll be able to schedule messages to send later, react to messages with more Tapbacks and format messages and specific words in your messages with text effects. So if you want to emphasize something in a text, you can bold it, underline or use other effects to get your point across.
Apple also briefly mentioned it was bringing RCS — Rich Communication Support — to Messages.
Game Mode
According to Facts and Factors, mobile gaming as an industry is expected to grow by over 13% by 2030. And Apple seems to recognize that with the introduction of Game Mode in iOS 18.
Game Mode will minimize background activities on your iPhone to improve your game’s performance. It will also have improved responsiveness with AirPods and wireless gaming controllers, Apple says.
Notes app upgrades
Apple’s iOS 18 will improve your Notes app. Notes will get live audio transcripts, collapsible sections to keep the app organized and the ability to highlight certain phrases. You’ll also be able to solve mathematical problems in the app while you type.
More ways to organize Mail
Apple also said that with iOS 18, your iPhone’s Mail app will be organized your emails better. Your app will have new categories for things like receipts, newsletters and more. That way you don’t have to dig through your emails and find an invitation to a party you forgot to respond to.
Tap to Cash
With iOS 18, it will also be easier to send cash to your friends and family with Tap to Cash. With this new feature, you can send Apple Cash directly to others by bringing your iPhones close together, similar to how you can quickly AirDrop a photo or message to someone, or NameDrop your contact information to others, by bringing your iPhones close together.
Improvements coming to Apple Wallet
Your Wallet app is also getting an upgrade in iOS 18. In the app, you’ll be able to view your rewards or points balance, and you’ll be able to redeem those points with Apple Pay online or in one of your apps. The app will also let you access any installment financing options your bank might offer.
Apple is also bringing new features to your event tickets in Wallet. Apple wrote online that the new features includes, "an event guide combining helpful information about the venue with recommendations from Apple apps."
Safari gets highlights and a redesigned Reader
With iOS 18, your iPhone’s Safari app will detect important information oa page and highlight it for you. For example, directions and quick links to people and movies should be highlighted and easily findable.
Reader will also provide a table of contents and summaries of articles in Safari.
Topographic maps in Maps
When Apple introduced iOS 17 in 2023, it brought offline maps to your iPhones Maps app. With iOS 18, Apple said your iPhone’s Maps app will get topographical information, too. Maps will also get detailed hiking trail information, including hiking routes from over 50 US national parks, so you can plan your next hike accordingly.
Journal app improvements
Apple also announced that iOS 18 will bring some changes to your iPhone’s Journal app. The updated Journal app now includes advanced search and sort functionalities. Users can easily locate specific entries and organize their journal for easier accessibility.
Time spent journaling can now be recorded as mindful minutes and users can log their state of mind directly within the Journal app.
Apple has introduced new widgets for the Journal app, available on both the Home Screen and Lock Screen. These widgets allow users to quickly start a new entry, view their current streaks, and receive writing prompts throughout the day.
The Journal app also gains automatic transcription for audio recordings, allowing users to capture their thoughts and ideas verbally, with the app converting spoken words into text entries.
The app now supports exporting of journal entries, allowing users to save entries offline or share them in printed form.
For more on Apple, check out everything Apple announced at WWDC 2024, how to download the iOS 18 developer beta now and why you might not want to install it just yet.