During the Apple conference dedicated to developers, Apple presented the new version of iOS 18. A version which benefits from ergonomic improvements, both in the general interface and in the most used system applications. Here are our favorites and a summary of the others.
This is one of the unmissable events for all Apple fans: WWDC, the firm’s annual conference dedicated to developers. Several hundred application creators are present on site, including a special correspondent from the Phonandroid editorial staff. Like every year, the conference opened with a keynote which we followed attentively. The program was very busy, with the distinguished guest “ Apple Intelligence », the in-house AI of the Cupertino company. We advise you to read our article.
Read also – Apple’s Vision Pro will finally arrive in France and we know when it will be marketed. Coming soon !
Like every year, one of the big pieces of the opening keynote was iOS. Apple presented version 18 of the iPhone operating system. A version which is already available in beta for developers and which will benefit from a public beta in July, before a global deployment this fall, certainly in parallel with the commercial launch of the iPhone 16. iOS 18 is an improved version of ‘iOS 17. Understand that the fundamentals remain. But some new things come to improve everyday life.
These new functions are numerous. And only about fifteen were presented by Apple during the keynote. Some are important, but have been long overdue. This is the case, for example, of RCS format support for messages. Format already supported by Android. So it was time for Apple to integrate it too. But other new features will really have an impact on the daily lives of iPhone owners. Here are our five favorites.
1 – Photos application
The Photos application benefits from a new design with a single home screen. On the upper part, you have your photo library, which can be quickly consulted. On the lower part, you have dynamic and customizable filters, as well as your albums. The idea is to be able to find photos faster and sort them more intelligently… without you having to waste time doing it.
2 – Messages application
In 2023, Apple presented many new features for the Messages application. In particular the integration of new information for conversations. This year, Apple continues to improve Messages with several new features. Text effects to bring messages to life. Almost unlimited variety for emoji reactions. You can bold and italicize text, underline it or strike through it, just like in a word processor. And you can schedule a message to be sent. In addition, Apple announces the arrival of satellite messaging for iPhone 14 and later.
3 – Control Center
The control center evolves with iOS 18. You already had the possibility of adding or removing virtual buttons from the center according to your needs and your connected devices. Now you can categorize them, change their place and even enlarge them. Apple also created an API for developers to create their own virtual buttons to appear in Control Center.
4 – New filters in Mail
Gmail from Google is a fairly powerful email manager. And one of the most convenient functions is automatic categorization of incoming messages. Promotion. Social networks. E-commerce. Apple takes this good idea (notably the categories) and integrates it into the native iOS 18 Mail application which will automatically classify emails. You can also create filters by sender which will summarize all exchanges.
5 – hidden and locked applications
Last new feature that seems important to us: locked and hidden applications. This function is not new in the Android ecosystem, since certain interfaces have offered it for several years. It’s now coming to iOS. And the goal is the same: hide and/or block an application for a casual user of your phone. FaceID / TouchID and Passcode can be used to display and unlock it. This is particularly practical for professional or banking applications, for example.
That’s obviously not all. iOS 18 is full of other new features. We have not mentioned the arrival of a game mode similar to that of macOS (and Android), the money transfers without contact between two iPhones, 3D maps for hikers in Plans, the home screen customization (with the repositioning and resizing of icons, like on Android) or even the state of mind in Journal. We also didn’t mention the integration of Apple Intelligence in iOS 18, as that is part of a dedicated article. iOS 18 is coming this fall and will be compatible with all iPhones starting with iPhone Xs.