iOS 18: All the Rumors and New Features Expected So Far

[whateverest]

Would that proposed design changes really be the biggest since iOS 7 right? About time..
Hoping the new AI features won't require the new iPhones. As always, hope dies last.

 

[kirky29]

Free the grid!

 

[Samplasion]

People say that, but when is the last time you used iOS 7? I have it on a 5S and it's stark going back to see all the little tweaks and optimizations that are missing.

As I said in the other thread about the VisionOS-inspired changes, the problem is that the changes have been so slow and incremental that they haven't been noticed. Kind of a boiling frog situation. So despite being somewhat different, it doesn't feel different.

 

[kirky29]

Every year for the last 10 has been these so called speculative post about it being the biggest iOS release since iOS 7 yet it’s always a damp squid

Exactly this! Besides, this year I'm sure most of their devs have been working on this EU alt app store, focusing on how to restrict it 'within the law', not actually working on beneficial features like a number row on the keyboard, multitasking, chat-bubbles, being able to install the same app twice for different logins and freeing the UI so I can put the Picture in Picture LITERALLY wherever I want! etc etc etc

 

[Samplasion]

the Picture in Picture LITERALLY wherever I want!

I hope that if they do implement that they make it optional. Coming from Android, it's always a nightmare having to move the PiP window around. On iOS I can flick it across the screen and it goes into its corner

 

[switz]

Forget iOS 18 for now. Get iOS 17 working without issues should be JOB 1. I am getting tired of the always kicking the problem down the oral to the next version. (Same thoughts apply to MacOS, iPadOS and WatchOS)

 

[sdwaltz]

This is all fine and good but it's faaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrr past time for a complete redesign of the UI. Been this way for 10 years now and it's growing stale.

 

[kirky29]

I hope that if they do implement that they make it optional. Coming from Android, it's always a nightmare having to move the PiP window around. On iOS I can flick it across the screen and it goes into its corner

I think you've hit the nail on the head - options. Allow people to have options, we're all different, and we all use our devices differently.

 

[Fuzzball84]

Only time will tell if this is the biggest ever update... but why is it necessary for it to be the biggest ever? All anyone wants is a stable and efficient OS that has its own solid and useful features, and which provides a platform for apps to run on...

It doesn't have to be the biggest, the most advanced etc etc

Security, privacy, simplicity, elegance and efficiency would be much more desirable.

 

[Fuzzball84]

Lot of people seem to mention UI updates... I wonder if they will ever allow different themes on iOS etc... Apple like to have their identity... so you see an iPad, know its an iPad etc

If people started having different UI interfaces... custom ones etc... I guess they lose that identity that they leverage to sell more...

🤔

 

[Surf Monkey]

Lot of people seem to mention UI updates... I wonder if they will ever allow different themes on iOS etc... Apple like to have their identity... so you see an iPad, know its an iPad etc

If people started having different UI interfaces... custom ones etc... I guess they lose that identity that they leverage to sell more...

🤔

Before OS X launched there were years in which people (including me) bemoaned the lack of customization in the Macintosh system software. Apple was adamant that they didn’t want ANY customization and justified that by saying they couldn’t provide support if they didn’t know what the user was looking at. But eventually they buckled and gave us… this:

And three other equally hideous “themes” to use via the “Appearance Manager.”

 

[Paddle1]

Lot of people seem to mention UI updates... I wonder if they will ever allow different themes on iOS etc... Apple like to have their identity... so you see an iPad, know its an iPad etc

If people started having different UI interfaces... custom ones etc... I guess they lose that identity that they leverage to sell more...

🤔

The lockscreen allows customization while still maintaining an "Apple aesthetic". They could at least add something like that.

 

[thefredelement]

LOL, OpenAI today announced generative 60 second videos from text descriptions, these image update things sound nice but I guess Apple will catch up at iOS19…

I’m sure Timmy’s noticing how many of his users are on ChatGPT, probably at least a hundred million more than have or want the AVP.

Ooops.

 

[branca]

Would that proposed design changes really be the biggest since iOS 7 right? About time..
Hoping the new AI features won't require the new iPhones. As always, hope dies last.

I would really like to like Siri. But it simply doesn’t work for me. I cannot dictate even a simple email or a message, tons of mistakes, stops all the time and wants to do things on its own. Now they want to add artificial intelligence, but I fear it’s going to be even more artificial with no intelligence at all. Obviously I hope I’m wrong.

 

[cocky jeremy]

I just want to be able to customize my homescreen more. Make an app store for themes that can be applied to all icons.

 

[McWetty]

So if this is “the biggest” update, does this mean the last feature will be added in 18.4 a few weeks before June 2025?

 

[Fandroid killer]

iOS 18 is still months away from being unveiled, but there are already rumors and expectations for the software update, as outlined below.

iOS 18 is rumored to include new ChatGPT-like generative AI features for Siri and several built-in Apple apps. The update is expected to add RCS support to the Messages app for an improved texting experience with Android users. A sketchy rumor claimed that iOS 18 will also have some visionOS-inspired design changes.

iOS 18 will be announced at Apple's annual developers conference WWDC in June, and the update will be released to all users in September.

Generative AI and Smarter Siri

iOS 18 is rumored to have new generative AI features for Siri, Shortcuts, Messages, Apple Music, Pages, and more. On a February 2024 earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company was working on generative AI and would share details "later this year."

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said generative AI "should improve how both Siri and the Messages app can field questions and auto-complete sentences." The Information's Wayne Ma said Apple would incorporate large language models into Siri to let users automate complex tasks, a feature that would involve deeper integration with the Shortcuts app.

Generative AI surged in popularity in 2022 after OpenAI released ChatGPT, a chatbot that can respond to questions and other prompts. Google, Microsoft, and other companies have also released similar chatbots and tools, including ones that can automatically generate images, respond to voice queries, and more.

Some generative AI features might be exclusive to iPhone 16 models, which are rumored to have a Neural Engine with "significantly" more cores.

RCS Support in Messages App

In November 2023, Apple announced that it would support the cross-platform messaging standard RCS in the Messages app on the iPhone starting "later" in 2024, so it will likely be an iOS 18 feature based on that timeframe.

RCS support should result in the following improvements to the default messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices:

• Higher-resolution photos and videos
• Audio messages
• Typing indicators
• Read receipts
• Wi-Fi messaging between iPhones and Android devices
• Improved group chats, including the ability for iPhone users to leave a conversation that includes Android users
• Improved encryption compared to SMS

These modern features are already available for iPhone-to-iPhone conversations with blue bubbles, via iMessage, and many of the features are also available in third-party messaging apps, such as WhatsApp and Telegram. RCS support on the iPhone will extend the features to green bubbles in the Messages app.

Biggest iOS Update Ever?

Apple believes iOS 18 has the potential to be the "biggest" software update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

"I'm told that the new operating system is seen within the company as one of the biggest iOS updates — if not the biggest — in the company's history," he wrote, in a January 2024 edition of his Power On newsletter.

visionOS-Inspired Design Changes?

iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 will feature visionOS-inspired design elements, according to a rumor shared by Israeli website The Verifier.

For example, the report claimed that the Apple TV app on iPadOS 18 will feature the same translucent navigation bar that was introduced in the tvOS 17.2 version of the app in 2023. The design of this menu draws similarities to visionOS, the operating system that runs on Apple's new Vision Pro mixed reality headset.

Apple also plans to redesign various other system menus and built-in apps on iOS 18, including Safari, according to the report.

The Verifier has a mixed track record with Apple rumors over the years, so this latest rumor should be treated with some skepticism.

More Details

For additional information, read our iOS 18 roundup.

Article Link: iOS 18: All the Rumors and New Features Expected So Far

Im glad to see rumors still confirming RCS support despite EU backing up. A better messaging system is better for users. Id use it any day over facebooks spyware whatsapp. I wish apple would introduce the clipboard feature android has. Cannot stress how much time it saves me when im researching or hopping between apps back and forth. Siri needs a MASSIVE overhaul. It's so far behind the competition It's sad. Hopefully Apple delivery and It's not all hype as it was for nearly a decade now.

 

[Quackington]

Ah yes, the good old "smarter Siri" line - that's not saying much. Let's keep the bar nice and low.

I would just like it if Siri responded when I addressed it every time. Sometimes it doesn’t bother and I need to reboot the phone.

 

[nuff_said]

THANK YOU. YES.

OR LET US tweak the design ourselves. TRUST us with more control.

AND for the love of god, WHAT COMES AFTER THE SUBSCRIPTION MODEL?!

I think I bought 1 app last year.

I agree to tweaking design ourselves. Having the ability able to move and change app icons outside the standard grid would be nice.

What comes after the subscription model? I said this before in a different thread: subscription OS, subscription Siri+, and then eventually hardware subscriptions. I believe that is Apple’s long term goal.

 

[jjudson]

Never seen that before

Actually, it's in iPad OS, not the iPhone. I typed it before I interpreted the headline.

Still...

 

[Saturn1217]

The iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max is getting even bigger.

Maybe some optimizations for using very large phones would be in order.

A really nice easy one would be the ability to put app icons anywhere in the home screen grid including the bottom!!! (Crazy I know)

And let’s also allow users of large phones to fit more content on said phones. We just need one more Display zoom setting: Large <— Default—> More Content. Android has this and it really makes having a big screen worth it.

 

[PowerMac5500]

Deleted

 

[guzhogi]

I said it before and I'll say it again: take a year off between major updates. Rebuild all/as many of the Libraries and Frameworks as possible in Swift, SwiftUI, and Metal (like how they went from Core Data to SwiftData), and then rebuild all the apps and other software with said libraries/frameworks. Consolidate code between all the different OSes (macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, etc.) so that each team doesn't have to reinvent the wheel for every feature.

 

[jamezr]

While I'm ready for a smarter Siri, and do think it's important they get Siri way more functional, history makes me think that even if Siri will be "smarter," it will be very incremental. Big wow features in iOS is typically not how Apple rolls. They trickle. Their userbase is so large, the number of devices so diverse, that they have to be a bit more reserved when it comes to rolling out new features. If iOS 18 is anything more than a trickle, I will be pleasantly surprised. And I am open to being surprised. Bring it. No, for real this time. Thanks.

every year it seems we have heard Siri will become smarter......still waiting for this to happen.

 

[CheffyDude]

A smarter Siri? Yea. Right.