Today, Gurman said iOS 18 could be the iPhone’s “biggest” software update in his Power On newsletter. “The new iOS operating system is viewed as one of, if not the biggest, iOS updates in the company’s history,” he wrote.
We already know about two new features of iOS 18 that are likely to be included in the update, as outlined below. Gurman plans to share more details about specific features and changes in the future. Apple’s developers conference WWDC will take place in June, and Apple will release the first beta of iOS 18 in September.
According to Apple’s November 2023 announcement, RCS will be supported in the Messages app on the iPhone starting “later” in 2024, so it’s likely to be an iOS 18 feature. Blue bubbles already exist for iPhone-to-iPhone chats via iMessage, and third-party messaging apps, like WhatsApp and Telegram, also provide these features. Green bubbles in the Messages app will be supported by RCS on the iPhone.
According to Gurman, iOS 18 will feature generative AI that will “improve Siri’s ability to field questions and auto-complete sentences.” Additionally, he said Apple is exploring generative AI features for other apps across its platforms, including Apple Music, Pages, Keynote, and Xcode.
According to The Information, Apple plans to integrate large language models into Siri so users can automate complex tasks, a feature that will require deeper integration with Shortcuts. It is expected to be included in the iOS 18 update for iPhones due in 2024.
