It’s that time of year again, folks! The next generation of the iPhone and iPad Operating Systems, iOS 18, is making its grand debut to the public in September. (In case you’ve forgotten, iOS is what makes Apple mobile devices work, enabling your devices to run applications, manage settings, and perform tasks. New releases improve and add new features.) Sure, a new and improved iOS comes out every year, but this one promises to be a real game-changer. A beta version is available for download now, and here are some things I’ve tried with iOS 18 for iPad. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s coming:
Home Screen
Personalize Your Home Screen. Finally, you’ll be able to really customize your Home Screen. No need to keep your icons in the set grid, and there will be options for two sizes and various color tints. I like the ability to move the icons around so as to not block the main parts of a photo. Below, I placed my widgets and favorite apps around the bear cub, and I chose the “Large” size, and “Automatic” color, which eliminates the text labels below the icons.
Here’s the same layout, but with the “Tinted” color and Small size. I chose the tinted color to match the flowers in the background of the photo.
Here are a few more examples of Home Screen arrangements to complement a particular photo.
A revamped Control Center will also allow you to group controls however you like. Rearrange and resize to your heart’s content, making everything you need just a tap away.
Hidden and Locked Apps
Keep Your Secrets Safe! Protect apps with private info from prying eyes. Share your phone without sharing your secrets. (Some are calling this the Cheater’s App because it allows folks to lock their dating apps from significant others, ) but there are lots of other apps you might want to keep locked – banking, password files, etc.)
Photos App
This promises to be the biggest update ever for Photos. Your photo library will now be organized by helpful topics and sorted by kinds of images. Pinned collections will let you quickly access your favorite albums and memories, and they can be edited at any time. It is so much easier to find exactly the photo you are searching for, and Apple Intelligence will make it even better. I’ll give a more lengthy review of this in a future post.
The new Mail will be smarter and better, but some of the best capabilities will only be available for devices with Apple Intelligence. It’s a little unclear what iOS 18 will bring to those phones that aren’t Apple Intelligence compatible until the we start seeing the first beta versions.
Password App
This will be a dedicated app to store all your passwords, verifications, and security alerts securely in one place, and it will coordinate across all of your Apple devices. If you already If you’ve already used the iCloud Keychain feature, all of your saved logins and passwords will be ready to go as soon as you authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID. If haven’t been using iCloud Keychain, then you really need the Passwords App to keep your data safe!
The Security section is probably the most helpful feature. It will allow you to change compromised passwords or those that are deemed to easy to guess. The App also allows your to share Passwords with family members and other contacts.
Messages
This new version will bring more fun as well as more functionality. Enjoy new animated effects and emojis. Send messages via satellite (yes, really) to stay connected without WiFi or cellular service. Schedule messages to send at the perfect time.
And so much more… This list is just to whet your appetite! Over the next few months, I’ll share my thoughts and experiences as I take a deep dive into iOS 18.
Apple Intelligence
This is Apple’s version of AI and it will also be available this fall, Unfortunately, it will be limited to only the newest devices. Read more about it here.
Compatibility
Is your iPhone ready for the upgrade? Check out the list below to see if you’re good to go:
– 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 or later)
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