Apple’s Annual Worldwide Developers Conference Starting on Monday, the company will roll out a beta version of iOS 18 to select iPhones.
iOS 18 won’t be available to everyone until the fall, First Beta According to MacRumors, the app will be available to members of the Apple Developer Program immediately following Tim Cook’s WWDC keynote, followed by a public beta in July.
The next big update, codenamed “Crystal,” includes a number of bold changes centered around artificial intelligence.
One of the most anticipated features in the latest update is an improved Siri that uses generative AI, the same technology used in ChatGPT that allows the platform to respond like a human.
Siri will reportedly be able to have natural conversations and provide personalized responses based on a user’s usage patterns.
AI may also be used to create “auto-generated playlists” in Apple Music, and RCS support is also coming to iPhones. RCS (Rich Communication Services) is the successor to SMS and MMS.
RCS support will bring several iMessage features already available to Blue Bubble users to text communication between iPhone and Android users, including:
- High resolution photos and videos
- Voice message
- Input Indicators
- Read the receipt
- Wi-Fi messaging between iPhone and Android devices
- Group chat improvements, including the ability for iPhone users to leave conversations that include Android users.
- Stronger encryption compared to SMS
- Share your location with others in a text thread
While Apple typically allows five years’ worth of updates for iPhones, an anonymous account on Twitter suggested in a since-deleted tweet that iOS 18 may be compatible with phones that are eight years old.
According to MacRumors:Here are some Apple products that may have new updates available soon:
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 15 Plus
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 14
- iPhone 14 Plus
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 Mini
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 Mini
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone SE (2nd generation)
- iPhone SE (3rd generation)
Other major updates rumored or tested for iOS 18 include: According to MacRumors:include:
- Apple Maps: Custom routes and topographical maps.
- Apple MusicAuto-generated playlists and smarter song switching.
- Apple News: AI-generated summaries of news articles.
- calculator: a sidebar that lists recent calculations, an improved interface for unit conversions, integration with the Notes app, etc. The app is finally available on the iPad too.
- calendar: Tighter integration with the Reminders app.
- CarPlay: New accessibility features including sound recognition.
- Control Center: Updated interface, including an improved music widget and better control for HomeKit accessories.
- Fitness: The app will be “completely revamped.”
- Freeform: New “Scenes” feature.
- health: New AI-powered features — specific details are still unclear.
- Home Screen: Place the app icon anywhere on the grid and change the color of the app icon.
- Keynote and Pages: AI-powered features like auto-generating slides in Keynote and writing faster in Pages.
- Magnifier: A new Reader Mode and the option to easily launch Discover Mode via the action button on newer iPhone models.
- Post: Suggested responses to emails.
- message: RCS support, word-by-word effects, reply suggestions, custom emojis, and new Tapback icons. The update also includes message summaries, which generate a summary of all messages missed in a conversation so users can understand the context without having to go back and read everything.
- Note: Built-in audio recording tools, audio transcription, and the ability to display mathematical notation.
- notification: A summary of AI-generated notifications.
- photograph: AI-powered photo retouching, AI object eraser, and more.
- Safari: A browsing assistant and “web eraser” tool that can summarize web pages.
- setting: An improved interface with better search and new accessibility features.
- Shortcuts: Automate complex tasks more easily.
- Siri: A smarter version of Siri, inspired by ChatGPT, with more per-app control and the ability to help with everyday tasks (2025).
- Spotlight: More intelligent search results and improved sorting.
- Voice Memos: Audio transcription.
