What to know about iOS18, Apple’s ‘biggest ever’ iPhone update

Apple’s annual World Wide Developer Conference kicks off on Monday — and the company is expected to roll out a beta version of iOS 18 for select iPhones.

While iOS 18 won’t be accessible to everyone until fall, the first beta will reportedly be available to members of the Apple Developer Program immediately after Tim Cook’s WWDC keynote with a a public beta to follow in July, according to MacRumors.

The next big update, codenamed “Crystal,” features many bold changes that center around artificial intelligence.

One of the most anticipated features in the newest update is an improved Siri that uses generative AI — the same technology used with ChatGPT that allows the platform to respond as if it’s a human.

Siri will reportedly be able to have natural sounding conversations and come up with personalized responses based on the user’s usage patterns.

AI could also be used to create “auto-generated playlists” in Apple Music, and RCS Support will be coming to iPhones as well. RCS, Rich Communication Services, is the successor to SMS and MMS.

The RCS Support will introduce several iMessage features that are already available for blue bubble users to texts between iPhone and Android users, including:

• Higher-resolution photos and videos
• Audio messages
• Typing indicators
• Read receipts
• Wi-Fi messaging between iPhones and Android devices
• Improved group chats, including the ability for iPhone users to leave a conversation that includes Android users
• Improved encryption compared to SMS
• Share location with people inside text threads

Though Apple typically allows iPhones five years’ worth of updates, an anonymous account on X, formerly Twitter, implied in a since-deleted tweet that iOS 18 could be compatible with phones that are eight years old.

According to MacRumors, these are the Apple products that could potentially enjoy the new update 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 XR
• iPhone SE (2nd generation)
• iPhone SE (3rd generation)

Other key updates that have been rumored or tested for iOS 18, according to MacRumors, include:

• Apple Maps: Custom routes and topographic maps.
• Apple Music: Auto-generated playlists and smarter song transitions.
• Apple News: AI-generated news article summaries.
• Calculator: A sidebar that lists recent calculations, an improved interface for converting units, integration with the Notes app, and more. The app will also finally be available on iPads.
• Calendar: Deeper integration with the Reminders app.
• CarPlay: New accessibility features, including Sound Recognition.
• Control Center: Updated interface, including a revamped music widget and improved controls for HomeKit accessories.
• Fitness: The app will be “overhauled.”
• Freeform: A new “Scenes” function.
• Health: New features powered by AI — specific details are still unknown.
• Home Screen: Place app icons anywhere on the grid and change colors of app icons.
• Keynote and Pages: AI-powered features for auto-generating slides in Keynote, writing faster in Pages, and more.
• Magnifier: A new Reader Mode, and the option to easily launch Detection Mode with the Action button on newer iPhone models.
• Mail: Suggested replies to emails.
• Messages: RCS support, per-word effects, suggested replies, custom emoji and new Tapback icons. The update will also include message recaps, generating a summary for all missed messages in a conversation so the user can understand the context without having to go back and read it all.
• Notes: A built-in audio recording tool, audio transcriptions, and the ability to display mathematical notation.
• Notifications: AI-generated notification summaries.
• Photos: AI-powered photo retouching, an AI object eraser and more.
• Safari: Browsing assistant that can summarize web pages, and a “Web Eraser” tool.
• Settings: A revamped interface with improved search, and new accessibility features.
• Shortcuts: Automate complex tasks more easily.
• Siri: A smarter ChatGPT-inspired version of Siri with more per-app controls that could assist in daily tasks (in 2025).
• Spotlight: More intelligent search results and improved sorting.
• Voice Memos: Audio transcriptions.