iOS 18 with home screen personalization and improved privacy unveiled at WWDC
iOS 18 was unveiled Monday at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), along with several new artificial intelligence-powered features and capabilities, as well as options for customizing the home screen. The latest version of iOS will add support for significantly improved Control Center options, along with support for third-party app controls, the company said. iOS 18 will also take advantage of Apple’s processors to power new features that will be available on eligible iPhone models later this year when the iOS 18 update rolls out.
Improved privacy features on iOS 18
Apple is also improving privacy features in iOS 18, including the ability to control how data is shared with apps. With iOS 18, users will be able to share specific contacts with apps instead of granting access to their entire contact list. Meanwhile, users will also be able to lock certain apps from their home screen, preventing unauthorized users from accessing those apps without biometric authentication or the device passcode.
iOS 18 introduces Home screen personalization, along with upgrades to Messages and Photos
Photo Credit: Apple
Siri Gets Apple Intelligence Upgrades
Siri is getting an upgrade with iOS 18 to make the assistant more conversational, alongside a new interface and app icon. Apple says the virtual assistant will allow users to type to Siri in addition to using voice commands, depending on where they are. Siri will also gain On-Screen Awareness features powered by Apple Intelligence, the company’s privacy-focused artificial intelligence (AI) system rolling out later this year. Apple Intelligence will be available in beta form in US English and only on two smartphones: the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
RCS support and improvements in the Messages app on iOS 18
The Messages app gains support for new features with iOS 18, including support for RCS messaging, text formatting, and the use of emoji in Tapback reactions. Users with iPhone 14 and later in supported regions can also use satellite connectivity to send texts and emoji through the Messages app.
The incoming support for RCS messaging means that texting between iPhone and Android phones will finally be on par with iMessage — at least in terms of picture quality and group chats. Text formatting is already available in competing messaging apps, and allows users to send messages with four different formatting styles.
iOS 18 introduces improvements to Control Center
According to the company, iOS 18 will also introduce support for third-party controls in the Control Center, with users able to swipe across pages to reveal more controls and toggles. A Controls Gallery will also display all available controls, including those from installed third-party apps, and users will be able to select custom layouts for these toggles on iOS 18.
Other customization options coming to iOS 18 include the ability to choose or remove custom shortcuts for the lock screen. The shortcuts will also include options from the aforementioned Control Gallery, Apple says.
Apple’s special passwords app
Apple is also introducing a new Passwords app in iOS 18, which will also be available on iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and visionOS 2, as well as Windows computers. The app will let users view and edit their passwords, view verification codes, and review weak passwords or passwords discovered in data breaches.
iOS 18 Compatible iPhone Models
iOS 18 will be compatible with the iPhone XR and later models, all the way up to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, meaning the same models that supported the company’s current-generation iOS 17 smartphone OS will be able to update to the upcoming version later this year. Like previous versions, certain iOS 18 features will not be visible on older models, the company said.
