When the presumed iPhone 16 lineup is formally introduced on the Apple occasion in lower than per week (this is the best way to watch it), it should embrace iOS 18, which Apple already detailed at its developer convention earlier this yr. However if you happen to’re not planning to improve to a more moderen iPhone mannequin this yr, you could possibly be left behind with an working system that is not supported by Apple.
Usually every year, some older iPhone fashions are faraway from Apple’s iOS eligibility record. Final yr, as an illustration, the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X have been left off the compatibility record. That meant these iPhone house owners could not replace to iOS 17 and missed out on some notable options.
We’ll allow you to discover out in case your iPhone will assist iOS 18, in addition to Apple Intelligence. Undecided what’s coming with the brand new replace? This is a abstract of the largest bulletins from WWDC, together with an outline of iOS 18.
iPhones suitable with iOS 18
We’ve excellent news: In case you had an eligible cellphone final yr once you up to date to iOS 17, that gadget ought to nonetheless be suitable with iOS 18, in accordance with Apple. Meaning you will not have to purchase a brand new cellphone to take a look at many of the new software program options.
Put one other means, when you have an iPhone from the 2017 mannequin yr or earlier (iPhone 8 or iPhone X), you may’t improve to the newest iOS, however your cellphone ought to proceed to work — albeit with out the newest bells and whistles.
Is your iPhone suitable with Apple Intelligence?
Whereas your older gadget will nonetheless have the ability to assist the newest iOS, likelihood is that you simply will not get to strive the Apple Intelligence beta but. Until you have got an iPhone 15 Professional or iPhone 15 Professional Max — the top-end 2023 fashions — your iPhone is not eligible. It is a secure guess that the brand new iPhone 16 fashions can be totally Apple Intelligence suitable, however we’ll need to await the official particulars on the September 9 occasion.
iOS 18 new options to anticipate
Whereas Apple Intelligence is by far the largest replace coming with iOS 18, its options are going to be launched extra piecemeal over the following few months. And the extra superior options will not be obtainable on older iPhone fashions apart from the iPhone 15 Professional collection. However the remainder of the iOS 18 options will hit the handsets listed above. Listed below are simply among the highlights you may anticipate once you obtain Apple’s new software program later this month.
Passwords app: Securely retailer all of your credentials in a single place, together with passwords and safety alerts you can entry straight within the app. (Whereas this performance at the moment exists in Settings, shifting it to a brand new app ought to make it simpler to find and entry.)
Improved Messages app: A brand new iMessages expertise is bringing the choice to daring, italicize, underline and strikethrough your textual content. You may additionally have the ability to add animations to your textual content messages. The replace can be bringing RCS to iPhones to higher assist Android compatibility.
An organized images library: The Pictures app is getting a redesign, which lets you create and pin your personal collections within the app — assume “wedding photos” or “trip to Aruba.” It removes the present tabbed backside and leans right into a grid format. The up to date carousel view that was touted at WWDC was eliminated through the beta course of.
Personalised dwelling display screen format: You may lastly get the choice to rearrange your apps — as an illustration, you may depart the center house open to show your private home display screen photograph, and as a substitute have your apps alone the border of the display screen. You can even change the looks of the apps by tinting them with any shade, in addition to making the apps bigger.
There are many different tweaks and enhancements to keystone apps like Maps, Calendar, Safari and extra. Try Cherlynn Low’s selections for the most effective hidden options of iOS 18 and its sibling Apple working system updates, based mostly on the betas launched earlier this yr.