Key Takeaways
- Apple is planning an “ambitious and compelling” update for iOS 18, with major new features and designs, as well as security and performance improvements.
- Previous rumors suggest that iOS 18 may introduce a supercharged Siri and other AI integrations across the system and first-party apps.
- The development of iOS 18 was temporarily paused last month to focus on patching bugs and ensure a stable release next fall, with beta testing available after the WWDC24 keynote in early June.
With every new iPhone update, tech enthusiasts hope to get their hands on major changes and additions that spice up their mobile experience. For years, however, these fresh introductions have been relatively limited, as iOS has pretty much matured at this point. Both its user interface and the features it supports, for the most part, are now polished. Nonetheless, it appears that Apple still has some innovative ideas in mind, with a new report suggesting that iOS 18 will be an “ambitious and compelling” update.
According to Bloomberg, iOS 18 may offer “major new features and designs, in addition to security and performance improvements.” Right now, it’s still unclear what the design changes could be, or what kind of new features we will be seeing. Previous rumors, however, have indicated that iOS 18 could be introducing a supercharged Siri, along with other AI integrations across the system and first-party apps.
With new features, new issues arise. For this reason, Apple paused iOS 18’s development for a week last month to focus on patching bugs before the technical debt accumulates. Furthermore, the company has been developing new features separately to make isolating problematic code more manageable. As a result, users can expect iOS 18 to be in a relatively stable condition by the time it releases next fall.
Developers and enthusiasts can expect to get their hands on iOS 18 beta after the main WWDC24 keynote concludes in early June. Though, it’s possible that some of the planned features won’t be available until the iPhone 16 series launches in September. After all, this upcoming iPhone upgrade is expected to be incremental, and Apple could be resorting to a jam-packed iOS 18 update to bring some excitement to the table. This wouldn’t be the first time the Cupertino firm goes that route. Just months ago, watchOS 10 completely overhauled the Apple Watch experience, following years of lackluster upgrades in the wearable’s hardware department.
