I’m speculating that iOS 18.3 will add some additional improvements to the Shortcuts app, likely some additional actions. It’s rumored that iOS 18.4 will be a big update for Siri and Siri Shortcuts, with both being able to access and trigger any and every feature in native and third-party apps! I’m really excited for this to come, because Siri Shortcuts can already unlock a bunch of functionality in their current state! 👍🏻
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iOS 18 Speculation Thread
- Thread starter Kylo83
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I’m speculating that iOS 18.3 will add some additional improvements to the Shortcuts app, likely some additional actions. It’s rumored that iOS 18.4 will be a big update for Siri and Siri Shortcuts, with both being able to access and trigger any and every feature in native and third-party apps! I’m really excited for this to come, because Siri Shortcuts can already unlock a bunch of functionality in their current state!
Siri will only be able to access all of these features if the app developers provide app intents to them. We’ll see how much the developers do in this regard. This isn’t the first time Apple has asked for a more widespread adoption of app intents (first for Shortcuts and then for widgets). Some adopt them, some don’t. I hope Apple is able to demonstrate to the developers why it is in their interest to do this. My guess is that they will use the MacBook Air event or unveiling as a way of pushing this. But I think they’ll also be using evangelists to show them the benefits.
My hunch is that iOS 18.3 will be highly focused on performance, bug fixes and improving the efficiency. But yes, some other minor features would be nice
That’s what I thought at first as well, but MacRumors reported that iOS 18.4 will allow Siri (and by extension Siri Shortcuts) to access all app features. Here’s the link (the appropriate section is the “App Control” list item:
iOS 18.4 to Bring Apple Intelligence Powered Siri
With iOS 18, set to be released in the fall, Apple is introducing a new personalized AI experience called Apple Intelligence that uses on-device,...
www.macrumors.com
Perhaps Apple will use an automated system to scan and automatically add app intents into developers code? Or maybe it will be able to do this in addition to the app intents system, just by analyzing the app’s UI since “On Screen Awareness” is also coming. Who knows how they’ll achieve this, but it seems like they’re working on it.
Let’s hope Tim doesn’t eat too much turkey and sleep through next week and forget to release the RC!
It’s Tim Jobs!
No that’s just bad journalism, like with the many other articles MacRumors publishes (quality has gone downhill over the last few years).That’s what I thought at first as well, but MacRumors reported that iOS 18.4 will allow Siri (and by extension Siri Shortcuts) to access all app features. Here’s the link (the appropriate section is the “App Control” list item:
iOS 18.4 to Bring Apple Intelligence Powered Siri
With iOS 18, set to be released in the fall, Apple is introducing a new personalized AI experience called Apple Intelligence that uses on-device,...
Perhaps Apple will use an automated system to scan and automatically add app intents into developers code? Or maybe it will be able to do this in addition to the app intents system, just by analyzing the app’s UI since “On Screen Awareness” is also coming. Who knows how they’ll achieve this, but it seems like they’re working on it.
Apps will need to add support for any new Siri functionality, whether that‘s via App Intents or other SDKs Apple publishes.
The only thing I could see being free is on-screen awareness via something similar to Windows Recall (snapshot of your screen and run it through LLMs), but too early to tell how Apple handles on-screen awareness (probably new SDKs where Apps fill the content in or flag elements as visible for AI).
Are we think Monday or Tuesday for iOS 18.2 RC?
I’m hoping for Monday. 😁
I’m hoping for Monday. 😁
I think Monday is the day.
Bad journalism? How so? Do you have better sources about Apple’s plans for future iOS releases?
As I said, perhaps Apple plans on making this possible via a developer side tool that scans the app and automatically adds app intents for every action or feature. It could be an option in XCode. I’m sure if it were in XCode, it could be opted out by a developer, but I have no idea why any developer would want to opt out of such a tool.
Alternatively, maybe it would be related to on-screen awareness. Maybe Siri would be able to imitate user interaction to be able to control the system. If Apple made a system that can allow Siri to create “user input”, then the apps wouldn’t even necessarily need everything to be written with app intents. I think this is a less likely possibility, but it might be possible.
I don’t see any good reason to say that MacRumors is engaging in “bad journalism” just because you’re skeptical of the future functionality they’re outlining. I even believe I recall Apple mentioning that they would be releasing a huge update to the app intents system that would make it possible to control every feature of apps at the WWDC24 in one of the smaller sessions. This is why I understand it that they will be making app intents automatically inserted into apps without a bunch of extra work from developers to port over to them, similar to what Apple has done with many other coding tools, and what Apple did with Catalyst.
Perhaps I and MacRumors are wrong, and Apple won’t expand it to that degree. I still think it will be a major improvement because at the very least their own apps should gain more Siri shortcut actions. We’ve already begun to see this in the first two versions of iOS 18. We’ve actually gotten quite a few brand new actions for Siri Shortcuts. I think this will only continue to get better…
Apple doesn‘t have any system that automatically updates your code with App Intents. Everything you mentioned, is up to developers to implement, except for Catalyst, which is not comparable at all to SDKs like App Intents.
My jab at MacRumors is that they are known to exaggerate rumors or publish false information (e.g. they routinely publish misinformation about RCS functionality). They‘re good for scoops and early info, but if you want any accurate technical information, good luck.
It‘s about rushing info out nowadays, being one of the first to get clicks, not being accurate.
Of course they don’t have such a system yet. We’re talking about iOS 18.4 here, not iOS 18.2. And in this case, what MacRumors is saying agrees with what I remember hearing from one of the smaller sessions at WWDC24. And Siri being able to be aware of app UI, and interact with the app would not necessarily require any developer effort, though I think it’s less likely.
Pretty much every source gets things wrong occasionally. To err is human. And I think that MacRumors (like most other tech news platforms sadly), occasionally does engage in clickbaiting with artificial scandals vilifying Apple etc to generate controversy. But I haven’t seen any evidence that MacRumors has this wrong, especially because I recall hearing from Apple that they were working on a system like this at WWDC24. Again, I don’t get why some people seem to think it’s impossible for Apple to implement a tool in XCode that automatically can add things into the code. Heck, that’s exactly what the new generative infill in XCode does. Swift Code itself has gained capabilities to automatically recognize things without needing extra syntax for other functions and such. I’m sure they could probably update it to where when you’re writing a control for your app, Swift Code, XCode, Swift Assist, whatever detects you’re writing an app feature/function and automatically assigns an app intent for it. It could probably do this for existing code as well.
Of course, maybe I and MacRumors just have it wrong. But so far, I haven’t heard a good reason why we have it wrong, just claims that MacRumors is engaging in “bad journalism” because someone’s skeptical about whether a feature like that could exist…
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It's an excellent reasoning!! 👊🏻👊🏻👍🏻
Pumped for this week!! iOS 18.2 RC and iOS 18.3 developer beta 1 LET’S GOOOO!!!
Hope everyone had a great holiday, and here’s hoping for a blissful, restful remainder of the season whatever or wherever you celebrate! I am thankful for you all, MacRumors family ♡
Hope everyone had a great holiday, and here’s hoping for a blissful, restful remainder of the season whatever or wherever you celebrate! I am thankful for you all, MacRumors family ♡
Yeah, I am too! I’m so excited for iPadOS 18.3! 👍🏻
I am thankful for the MacRumors community as well, lots of good conversation here! 👍🏻
I think iOS 18.3 beta 1 will be out after official release of 18.2 not earlier
The last two times, the first developer beta for the next version of iOS has dropped on the same day as the RC beta for the current beta version. I think Apple will continue with this trend, and so that would mean iOS 18.3 beta 1 would drop alongside iOS 18.2 RC beta.
Most likely after the release of 18.2 (public release) I’m sure @gwhizkids has researched this. 😁
17.3 beta Dec 14th.
Dec 11th 17.2 released
Dec 12th 17.3 beta
Jan 4th 17.3 beta 2
=======
Dec 13th 16.2 released
Dec 14th 16.3 beta
Jan 10th 16.3 beta 2
=======
Dec 13th 15.2 released
Dec 20th 15.3 beta
Jan 13th 15.3 beta 2
I mentioned this in a previous post, not immediately after RC, but a day after the Public release.
Dec 11th 17.2 released
Dec 12th 17.3 beta
Jan 4th 17.3 beta 2
=======
Dec 13th 16.2 released
Dec 14th 16.3 beta
Jan 10th 16.3 beta 2
=======
Dec 13th 15.2 released
Dec 20th 15.3 beta
Jan 13th 15.3 beta 2
Yeah, it was that way for the majority of the iOS 17 beta cycle, but this beta cycle has been different so far. 👍🏻
I know it worked that way in the iOS 17 beta cycle and earlier, but this beta cycle, iOS 18 betas for the next version have been dropping close to the release of the RC beta. This happened with the first developer beta for iOS 18.1 dropping close to the RC for iOS 18.0, and the first developer beta for iOS 18.2 dropping close to the RC for iOS 18.1. They seem to want to get betas out faster to get more testing for Apple Intelligence. 👍🏻17.3 beta Dec 14th.
I mentioned this in a previous post, not immediately after RC, but a day after the Public release.
Dec 11th 17.2 released
Dec 12th 17.3 beta
Jan 4th 17.3 beta 2
=======
Dec 13th 16.2 released
Dec 14th 16.3 beta
Jan 10th 16.3 beta 2
=======
Dec 13th 15.2 released
Dec 20th 15.3 beta
Jan 13th 15.3 beta 2
So if they stick with this trend, that would put an iOS 18.3 Beta 1 drop at about the same time as the iOS 18.2 RC beta drop. If we get an iOS 18.2 RC beta next week, I think we’ll likely also get an iOS 18.3 Beta 1. 👍🏻
I know it worked that way in the iOS 17 beta cycle and earlier, but this beta cycle, iOS 18 betas for the next version have been dropping close to the release of the RC beta. This happened with the first developer beta for iOS 18.1 dropping close to the RC for iOS 18.0, and the first developer beta for iOS 18.2 dropping close to the RC for iOS 18.1. They seem to want to get betas out faster to get more testing for Apple Intelligence.
So if they stick with this trend, that would put an iOS 18.3 Beta 1 drop at about the same time as the iOS 18.2 RC beta drop. If we get an iOS 18.2 RC beta next week, I think we’ll likely also get an iOS 18.3 Beta 1.
Given the pattern in iOS 18 thus far I tend to agree that there’s a good chance we’ll see the first iOS 18.3 beta just after the 18.2 RC is released. We’ll see soon!