What You Need to Know About iOS 18, Apple’s “Biggest Ever” iPhone Update

TLDR: Apple’s iOS 18 update, expected to be announced at WWDC, will bring AI-powered features, improved Siri, and RCS support for messaging between iPhones and Android devices. It may support iPhones up to eight years old.

Apple’s yearly World Wide Developer Conference starts on Monday — and the company is expected to show a test version of iOS 18 for certain iPhones.

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

AI-Powered Features

The next big update, called “Crystal,” has many bold changes that focus on artificial intelligence.

One of the most anticipated features in the newest update is a better 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.

RCS Support

RCS Support will be coming to iPhones as well. RCS, Rich Communication Services, is the next step after SMS and MMS.

The RCS Support will bring 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
• Better group chats, including the ability for iPhone users to leave a conversation that includes Android users
• Better encryption compared to SMS
• Share location with people inside text threads

Compatibility

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 work 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 series
• iPhone 14 series
• iPhone 13 series
• iPhone 12 series
• iPhone 11 series
• iPhone XS series
• iPhone XR
• iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation)

Exciting times ahead for iPhone users!