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iOS 18: Release Date, New Features, Compatible iPhones, and Everything We Know

Victor Sanchez

• 4 min read
iOS 18: Release Date, New Features, Compatible iPhones, and Everything We Know

iOS 18 was officially unveiled on June 10 at WWDC 2024. The iPhone’s operating system was one of the keynote’s main highlights, only overshadowed by the new artificial intelligence features.

While this was the official presentation of iOS 18, we won’t see stable versions until September. Apple has shown off the features of the first developer beta, so there’s still quite a way to go.

Which iPhones will update to iOS 18?

Buying an iPhone means years of support, and iOS 18 is no exception. As usual, Apple hasn’t yet provided details on which iPhones will update to the new version. However, considering that the iPhone Xs and Xr are the current cutoff, it’s easy to predict that the iPhone 11 will be the new cutoff.

iPhones Expected to Receive iOS 18:

  • iPhone 11
  • iPhone 11 Pro
  • iPhone 11 Pro Max
  • iPhone SE (2nd gen - 2020)
  • iPhone 12
  • iPhone 12 mini
  • iPhone 12 Pro
  • iPhone 12 Pro Max
  • iPhone 13
  • iPhone 13 mini
  • iPhone 13 Pro
  • iPhone 13 Pro Max
  • iPhone SE (3rd gen - 2022)
  • iPhone 14
  • iPhone 14 Plus
  • iPhone 14 Pro
  • iPhone 14 Pro Max
  • iPhone 15
  • iPhone 15 Plus
  • iPhone 15 Pro
  • iPhone 15 Pro Max

The new iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max would come with iOS 18 installed, and in their launch month, the rest of the models would start enjoying this version as well.

What new features will iOS 18 have?

iOS 18 brings new features that can be divided into three main categories: customization, native applications, and artificial intelligence. These are the three major changes coming to the iPhone’s new operating system.

System Customization

Finally, the iPhone will allow users to place system icons wherever they want. We will no longer be forced to arrange them from top to bottom. If there’s space, we can place the app wherever we like. This is a significant change for the home screen, but it’s not the most notable.

iOS 18 will allow you to customize the home screen with the colors you want. Similarly, we’ll be able to use dark mode... just for the phone’s icons. With a couple of taps, the interface will completely adapt to the new UI.

Control Center

The Control Center is another area greatly affected by the design change. Not only does it have an entirely different UI, but it now features multiple pages.

By swiping up from the bottom, we can access different functions from the control center, with even more shortcuts, home functions, or whatever we want to configure in a more organized way.

Additionally, it’s now possible to customize icons with personalized color palettes. And yes, all of this is reminiscent of the Custom ROMs from ten years ago.

Improvements in Native Apps

Several applications undergo changes in iOS 18, though the most notable are Messages and Photos.

iMessage: The iMessage app will finally work with satellite connectivity. This means that those iPhones equipped with this feature can send messages even when there is no network connectivity.

Passwords: Password settings are now integrated into a new app with this name. The same functions, but decentralized from the iOS settings.

Photos: Interface improvements and new categories. Apple describes this as the biggest design leap in the history of Photos. We’ll now be able to search images more comprehensively and group them within custom collections.

Mail: The app updates with interface improvements and email categorization.

Apple Intelligence

Apple Intelligence, Apple’s new AI, will be available within iOS 18. Specifically, four categories have been detailed where this AI will work:

  • Language: The iPhone will be able to prioritize notifications by analyzing their content, as well as offer new writing functions to rewrite or review our texts. These improvements are available in Mail, Notes, Safari, and even in third-party apps.
  • Images: We’ll be able to create images using AI, using information from our photo library. For example, we could create images in a MidJourney style using photos of our contacts: Drawing, Illustration, and Animation.
  • App Actions: "Show me the files sent to me the other day": The iPhone will now be able to analyze the phone’s contents.
  • Personal Context: The iPhone with iOS 18 will be able to process relevant data from emails, contacts, calendars, and information on our screen to provide us with useful tips.

To enjoy Apple Intelligence, an iPhone 15 Pro is required, as only the Apple A17 Pro can run the new model, according to Apple. The Apple Intelligence features in other languages will arrive in 2025. These features will be free initially, although we’ll have to wait for them to fully roll out.

What is the latest iOS 18 beta?

The latest iOS 18 beta is the fourth, giving us hints about how close we are to the public release. While the updates are minor, we are on the brink of a version where we should see more features at first glance.