Apple’s iOS 18 rolling out globally today: see the details
Apple launched its latest iPhone 16 lineup — which includes the base iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and the top-of-the-line iPhone 16 Pro Max — during its “It’s Glowtime” event on September 9. The new phones, which run iOS 18 out of the box, go on sale September 20. However, those who own older supported iPhone models will be able to try out Apple’s latest mobile operating system before future iPhone 16 owners can. Apple will begin rolling out iOS 18 to supported devices on Monday.
The latest major release of iOS includes a ton of customization options, allowing users to change icon hues and colors, freely rearrange apps on the home screen, customize widgets to their liking, and more. It’s worth noting, however, that iOS 18’s Apple Intelligence features, which leverage generative artificial intelligence and include a revamped Siri, will arrive in another update at a later date. Apple Intelligence features will work on all iPhone 16 models, but will only be supported on iPhone 15 Pro models if these are older devices.
Time for iOS 18 rollout
As mentioned, iOS 18 will be rolled out worldwide on September 16, Apple has confirmedWhile the iPhone maker has not specified a release time, previous major iOS releases have been released at 10 a.m. PT (10:30 p.m. IST) on the first day.
Supported iPhone models
iPhone SE (second and third generation) and iPhone XR and later models are compatible with the iOS 18 update. All supported models include:
- iPhone SE (second generation)
- iPhone SE (third generation)
- iPhone XR
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 mini
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 14
- iPhone 14 Plus
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 15 Plus
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
Once the iOS 18 update is available, you can go to Settings > General > Software Update to download and install the latest version of the operating system.
iOS 18 Features
While Apple Intelligence features will come later, iOS will launch with a series of upgrades. The latest version of the iPhone OS will give users more control over home screen personalization, allowing them to rearrange apps and widgets to their liking.
App icons and widgets also get a new, darker look, as users can apply shades of different colors or match the shade of the app icon to their wallpaper. In addition, users can also adjust the size of apps and widgets. Users can also lock or hide sensitive apps from the screen.
The Control Center gets an overhaul, with more controls accessible with a single swipe down from the home screen. Users can also adjust the size and layout of controls in the Control Center and rearrange them.
Apple has also redesigned the Photos app, with more categorization to make it easy to find your photos and videos. The Messages app is also getting a few new features, allowing users to add animated effects to any part of their messages, including emojis. iOS 18 also adds support for RCS (Rich Communication Services) messages and the ability to schedule a message for later.
