The iPhone operating system iOS 18 was revealed today, with new customization features, a redesigned Photos app, and more.
Home Screen Customization:
New customization tools are available for the Home Screen in iOS 18. Users can tint app icons with a color to create a unique look with Dark Mode. You can now place apps anywhere on your Home Screen.
Control Center:
The Control Center is redesigned with a new gallery that is highly customizable. In the Control Center, developers can provide tools for their apps. The user can continuously swipe through the Control Center to access other screens. You can also customize the Lock Screen controls.
Messaging & Mail:
Users can now react with any emoji in Messages’ tapbacks. Messages can also be scheduled to send later, as well as formatted with bold, italic, underlining, and strikethrough. With automatic suggestions, new text effects highlight words and phrases. Satellite connectivity now allows users to send and receive messages.
To help prioritize messages, Mail automatically sorts emails into categories. In the Maps app, there are also new topographical maps with trail networks and hiking routes. By holding iPhones together, Wallet’s new Tap to Cash feature sends cash.
Passwords App:
Based on Keychain, which was introduced over 25 years ago, Passwords makes it easy for users to access their passwords, passkeys, Wi-Fi passwords, and verification codes. Users are also alerted to common weaknesses, such as passwords that can easily be guessed or used multiple times and those associated with known data leaks.
New Photos App:
In iOS 18, the Photos app has been completely redesigned. Using a photo grid at the top, you can view your entire library and collections arranged by theme below. You can sort by Months and Years at the bottom, and there’s a filter button for hiding screenshots.
Below the grid are Collections, where you can browse by Time, People, Memories, Trips, and more. Photos from the past few days are displayed in Recent Days, with things like receipts automatically filtered out. In People and Pets, you can now reorder and pin collections of photos of people and pets. If you swipe right from the grid, you’ll see a carousel with Featured Photos. To surface new images, it automatically refreshes.
App Lock, RCS & Game Mode:
It is now possible to lock apps with authentication, hiding information from both Siri and Search at the same time. A new way to connect accessories is also included in iOS 18.
The iPhone now supports RCS messaging, has larger icons on the Home Screen, and integrates reminders with its calendar.
With Game Mode, the iPhone also offers a faster connection to AirPods and wireless game controllers, minimizing background activity to keep frame rates high.
In the fall, iOS 18 will be released to the public, following a public beta in July. iOS 18 will be available this fall as a free software update for iPhone Xs and later.
