“It's glowtime” is this year's theme for Apple's annual new hardware event on Monday.
Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the iPhone 16, the first iPhone designed for generative artificial intelligence. This technology is the same that allows ChatGPT to respond to more nuanced instructions from users.
The new iPhones will come with the “biggest software update ever”: iOS 18, which was first unveiled to the world in June, was re-announced at the event alongside the new iPhone 16 Pro and ProMax.
The iPhone 16 makes extensive use of iOS18’s new generative AI features, named Apple Intelligence.
Key iOS 18 features introduced at today's event include:
Text Message
Say goodbye to the dreaded green bubble
As part of the update, iPhones will also get support for RCS. RCS (Rich Communication Services) is the successor to SMS and MMS.
RCS support introduces several iMessage features that Blue Bubble users can already take advantage of for text message exchanges between iPhone and Android users, including messaging over Wi-Fi, enhanced encryption compared to SMS, location sharing within text threads, and high-resolution photos and videos.
Even better, iPhone users who send text messages to non-iPhone users will no longer receive read receipts, typing indicators, or voice messages, and group chats have also been improved, allowing iPhone users to leave chats with Android users in them.
When cellular or Wi-Fi isn't available, users can send messages via satellite, allowing them to stay connected even when off the power grid.
Create your own emoji
Emojis are also getting an update: you'll now be able to send custom, AI-generated emojis.
Faster emergency response
The safety upgrade now allows iPhone users to share live video with 911 dispatchers using iOS 18 through Emergency SOS.
Siri just got smarter
“Apple intelligence marks a new era for Siri, with richer language understanding making Siri more natural, contextual and personal,” Craig Federighi, Apple's SVP of Software Engineering, said during the event.
Siri can now also remind you of recommendations a friend has sent you, like an album they recommended you listen to or a TV show you promised to watch, via a text message.
Siri can pull information from multiple apps to help you be prepared for anything: if you have an important meeting coming up, it can pull time and location information from your calendar, summarize important information from your email, tell you the weather and suggest what to wear.
Professional-level photos
If you have a bunch of photos from an event and want to send them to someone quickly, Siri makes it easy to do so.
“You can say, 'Send Erica pictures of Saturday's barbecue,' and Siri will find the photos and send them right away,” Federighi explained.
The redesigned Photos app can automatically organize your photos into collections, and the Photo Gallery in iOS 18 also allows for customizable, pinnable collections.
Let me say it better.
With Apple Intelligence, Siri can also help you send texts and messages, and the phone comes with a writing tool to help you draft texts and emails.
These writing tools can help you rewrite a quick note into an invitation or adjust the tone of a Slack message to your boss.
Instructions at a glance
With iOS 18, users will be able to control their iPhone with their eyes.
Eye Tracking on your iPhone lets you interact with the screen, open apps, and perform tasks without touching it.
To enable this feature, you need to go into the Accessibility settings and turn on “Eye Tracking,” after which your phone will go through a calibration process to learn your eye movements.
Your own app
The new iOS will allow users to “lock” certain apps so they can only be opened using Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode.
Users can also make an app “hidden”, meaning that the app won't appear on the home screen and won't display media anywhere else throughout the system.
Save all words
iPhone users will now be able to record and transcribe phone calls in real time within iOS 18's Phone app.
If the call is being recorded, all participants will be notified.
