iOS 18 is Apple’s next major software update for iPhones, expected to be unveiled in June 2024 at WWDC and released in September alongside the iPhone 16 series. While details remain limited months ahead of its debut, rumors suggest iOS 18 will be a substantial update focused heavily on AI and machine learning.
Release Date
If Apple follows its usual software release pattern, we can expect the following iOS 18 rollout timeline:
- Early June 2024: Apple unveils iOS 18 at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote. The first developer beta gets released.
- July 2024: Apple releases the iOS 18 public beta for public testing.
- September 2024: Apple releases iOS 18 to the general public shortly after announcing the iPhone 16 series.
iOS 18 will likely remain in beta testing over the summer months before reaching consumers in the fall.
New Features
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple executives have described iOS 18 internally as “ambitious and compelling,” suggesting major new features and design changes could be in store.
Here are some of the new additions rumored so far:
Generative AI
The biggest change expected in iOS 18 is a new focus on generative AI. Apple is reportedly racing to catch up to AI leaders like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and OpenAI.
Potential iOS 18 AI features include:
- Smarter Siri – Apple may rebuild Siri using generative AI models to allow more natural conversations and complex voice commands. Siri could gain the ability to chat more conversationally and even auto-complete sentences in Messages.
- Enhanced apps – Native apps like Apple Music, Pages, Keynote, Xcode, and more could gain AI smarts to provide better recommendations, simplify workflows, write code, and more.
Apple is still debating whether to process generative AI requests on-device using the iPhone/iPad’s neural engine or in the cloud. An on-device approach would provide better privacy and offline usage.
RCS Messaging
iOS 18 may finally bring RCS messaging support to the Messages app when texting Android users. RCS would allow iMessage-like features including read receipts, high-quality photo/video sharing, Wi-Fi messaging, typing indicators, better group chats, and more secure end-to-end encryption.
This would greatly improve the messaging experience between iPhones and Android phones.
Compatible Devices
While Apple has not confirmed which devices will support iOS 18, if it follows previous patterns we can expect compatibility as follows:
Potentially Unsupported
- iPhone XS/XS Max
- iPhone XR
Likely Supported
- iPhone 11 series
- iPhone 12 series
- iPhone 13 series
- iPhone 14 series
- iPhone 15 series
- iPhone SE (2nd generation and newer)
So, iOS 18 may drop support for 2018 iPhones like the iPhone XS/XR, just like iOS 17 cut off the iPhone 8 models. But we’ll have to wait for official word from Apple on compatibility.
What Else We May See
Beyond the major AI and RCS additions, there are a few other iOS 18 features that have been rumored or we hope to see:
- UI design/theme changes
- New stock apps
- Enhanced privacy controls
- Improvements to existing apps like Maps, Health, Home, etc.
- New accessibility features
- Performance optimizations
We can likely expect the usual mixture of both flashy new capabilities alongside underlying refinements.
Conclusion
While iOS 18 details remain limited many months before its expected reveal, the early rumors paint the picture of a substantial update for iPhones focused on next-generation artificial intelligence.
Apple seems determined to catch up to AI leaders with additions like smarter Siri, generative features in apps, and more. iOS 18 may also finally bring RCS messaging support for better texting between iPhones and Android devices.
We can expect more iOS 18 rumors in the coming months as we approach WWDC 2024 in June. The update will likely remain in beta testing over the summer before its consumer release with new iPhones in September 2024.
So iOS 18 has the potential to be one of Apple’s most feature-packed software updates in years, bringing AI smarts across the system along with other enhancements. It could give consumers compelling reasons to upgrade to the iPhone 16 and give older iPhones new lease on life. We’ll know more details soon as Apple’s annual iOS improvements cycle continues.