About iOS 18 Updates
iOS 18 brings new ways to customize the iPhone experience, relive special moments, and stay connected. Customize your iPhone further by arranging your Home Screen, your Lock Screen, and Control Center in all-new ways. Photos delivers the biggest redesign ever to make it even easier to relive your special moments. Staying connected with friends and family is even better with new ways to express yourself in Messages. A new hiking experience in Maps and updates to Wallet enable you to explore the world further. iOS 18 also brings new features to Safari, Journal, Notes, Phone, and so much more.
For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/100100
iOS 18.1
This update introduces the first set of features powered by Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system that unlocks powerful new ways to communicate, work, and express yourself, all while protecting your data with an extraordinary step forward for privacy in AI. This release also includes enhancements to Camera Control, the ability to capture spatial photos, record phone calls, and other features, bug fixes, and security updates for your iPhone.
Apple Intelligence (All iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max)
Writing Tools
Writing Tools are available nearly everywhere you type, allowing you to rewrite, proofread, and summarize text right in the app you’re working in
Rewrite suggests different versions of your text so you can choose which combination of flow and wording you like best
Proofread lets you view suggested improvements to what you’re writing, like grammar fixes and language refinements
Summarize allows you to select text wherever you’re writing and generate a high-quality summary
Siri
A new look and feel includes a glowing light that wraps around the edge of your screen, animates responsively to the sound of your voice, and lets you keep scrolling or typing while you talk to Siri
Type to Siri when you don’t want to speak a request out loud by double tapping at the bottom of the screen
Richer language understanding enables Siri to follow along if you stumble over your words or change your mind mid-sentence
Conversational context is maintained over the course of a session, so you can refer more naturally to something you said in a recent request or something Siri mentioned in a recent response
Product knowledge helps you get answers to thousands of questions about the features and settings on your Apple products
Voice enhancements make Siri sound more natural, expressive, and clear
Photos
Photos search lets you find photos and videos simply by describing what you’re looking for
Clean Up removes distractions in your photos
Memory movies can be created by describing the story you want to see
Notifications
Notification summaries make it easy to catch up on your notifications with a glanceable summary of the most important information
Reduce Interruptions is a new Focus that ensures the most urgent notifications get through to you while silencing potential distractions
Smart Reply in Mail and Messages help you quickly respond to messages with suggested responses
Priority messages in Mail understands the content of your messages and prioritizes those that require your attention, displaying them at the top of your inbox
Transcription summaries in Notes give you an intelligently created summary of the transcript from your audio recording or call recording
Phone
Call recordings and transcriptions let you record live calls and transcribe them in the Notes app, with an automatic announcement that the call is being recorded
Camera
Camera Control can quickly switch to the front TrueDepth Camera (iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max)
Spatial photo capture, along with spatial video capture, is available in a new Spatial camera mode (iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max)
AirPods
Hearing Test feature provides scientifically-validated hearing test results from the comfort of home (intended for users 18 years or older)
Hearing Aid feature provides personalized, clinical-grade assistance that is automatically applied to sounds in your environment as well as music, videos, and calls (intended for users 18 years or older with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss)
Hearing Protection feature helps users minimize exposure to loud environmental noise across listening modes (available in the United States and Canada)
Features require AirPods Pro 2 with firmware version 7B19 or later. All features may not be available for all countries or regions, for more information visit: https://apple.com/airpods-pro/feature-availability/
This update also includes the following improvements and bug fixes:
Control Center has new options to add connectivity controls individually and reset your configuration
RCS Business Messaging lets you connect with businesses over RCS (requires carrier support)
App Store search lets you use natural language to find what you're looking for more easily
Game Center friend invites can be sent directly from the Contacts app and Friend Suggestions, and receivers can see the invites in the inbox in Settings
Fixes an issue in Podcasts where unplayed episodes are marked as played
Fixes an issue where videos recorded at 4K 60 while the device is warm could experience stutter while scrubbing the video playback in Photos
Fixes an issue where digital car keys may not unlock or start a vehicle with passive entry after restoring from a backup or transferring directly from another iPhone
Fixes an issue where iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro models may unexpectedly restart
Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/100100
iOS 18.0.1
This update provides important bug fixes and security updates for your iPhone including:
Touch screen may be temporarily unresponsive in certain circumstances on iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models
Camera may freeze when recording macro mode video on the Ultra Wide camera in 4K with HDR turned off on iPhone 16 Pro models
Messages may unexpectedly quit when replying to a message with a shared Apple Watch face
Performance may be impacted due to an issue with memory allocation on some iPhone models
For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/100100
iOS 18
Home Screen
Flexible arrangement to place app icons and widgets in any open position on the Home Screen, such as along the bottom or off to the side, to create the ideal layout for each page
Dark icons give your Home Screen look a darker aesthetic, and can automatically adjust when your iPhone enters Dark Mode, or always appear dark
Color tinting lets you apply any color to app icons and widgets or have iOS suggest a color that complements your wallpaper
Larger icons allow you to make all the app icons and widgets on your screen appear larger, removing the name underneath
Photos
Photos app redesign features the biggest update ever with a simplified layout that puts everything into a single view
Collections automatically organize your library by helpful topics that you can browse in a collage, grid, as a memory, or on a map
Customization options let you reorder, add, and remove Collections rows, and add just the items you want to Pinned Collections to keep within easy reach
Groups in People and Pets include photos of your favorite people or pets who frequently appear together
Trips automatically organizes your travels into collections so you can relive each trip
Recent Days lets you view your recent photos organized by day without clutter like screenshots
Filter button in the grid helps you reduce clutter by filtering to specific media types, your favorites, or by hiding screenshots from the view
Video speed control lets you slow down high frame rate video content with in and out points
Utilities includes additional helpful collections like Documents, Receipts, QR codes, and more, and items you’ve recently edited, viewed, and shared
Recovered album in Utilities surfaces images that are on your device but were not previously visible due to database corruption in a locked album
Messages
Messages via satellite lets you message friends and family when you are without cellular or Wi-Fi connection by connecting to a satellite in space (iPhone 14 and later)
Text effects bring your conversations to life by visually amplifying any letter, word, phrase, or emoji in iMessage with dynamic, animated effects like explode, ripple, and nod
Text formatting lets you add bold, underline, italics, and strikethrough to any letter, word, or phrase in iMessage
Emoji and sticker Tapbacks allow you to react to a message using any emoji or sticker, giving you access to the Tapbacks you and your friends send the most with just a swipe
Send Later enables you to compose a message now and schedule it to send later
RCS messaging support includes delivery and read receipts, higher resolution photos and videos for messaging people without an iPhone and requires carrier support
Control Center
Redesigned Control Center features convenient groups of controls, the ability to arrange controls just the way you want, and support for controls from third-party apps
Groups of controls can be accessed by continuously swiping from the right edge, including your most used controls, Home controls, Media Playback and Connectivity, with the option to build out entirely new groups too
Controls gallery displays the full set of available controls, including controls from third-party apps, that you can add right into the group you choose
Resizable controls let you drag from the lower right of a control from within Control Center
Lock Screen
Custom Lock Screen controls let you choose controls from the controls gallery from your favorite apps
Action button can be customized with controls from the controls gallery (iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max)
Font options allow you to customize the time with 10 new numeral scripts in Bangla, Gujarati, Gurmukhi, Kannada, Malayalam, Meitei, Odia, Ol Chiki, Telugu, and Urdu
Safari
Distraction Control helps you hide items on a webpage that you find disruptive to your browsing
Highlights surface key information from the webpage you’re visiting with summaries, locations, and more
Redesigned Reader offers even more ways to enjoy articles with a streamlined view of the article you’re reading, a summary, and a table of contents for longer articles
Passwords
Passwords app lets you see all your credentials for websites and apps in one place, making it even easier to access your passwords, passkeys, Wi-Fi passwords, and verification codes
Verification codes for two factor authentication can be set up right in Passwords so you can easily copy them or autofill them into Safari without opening an authenticator app
Secure syncing ensures your accounts saved in Passwords sync seamlessly with iCloud with end-to-end encryption so you can access them on your other devices
Windows support through the iCloud Passwords app so you can access your passwords on Windows devices
Maps
Topographic maps display features like trails, contour lines, elevation, and points of interest
Hikes are available across all U.S. national parks and can be saved to your device to access while offline
Custom walking and hiking routes can be created with just a few taps for hikes in the park, regular exercise routines in your neighborhood, walking tours while on vacation, and more
Places Library combines all your saved places, guides, and hiking routes into one location for easy access
Gaming
Game Mode minimizes background activity to sustain the highest frame rates and dramatically improves responsiveness with wireless accessories like game controllers and AirPods
Wallet
Tap to Cash lets you exchange Apple Cash quickly and privately, without sharing phone numbers or email addresses, just by holding your phones together
New pass designs have a beautiful new look and great new features, including a new event guide with helpful information about the venue and smart recommendations from your favorite Apple apps
New ways to pay with installments and rewards on supported credit and debit cards when you check out with Apple Pay online and in apps
Journal
State of mind can be logged right from within Journal, and emotions or mood logged in the Health app are included in Journaling Suggestions
Insights view shows your writing streaks, a calendar, and other fun stats that help you track your journaling goals
Search lets you easily find past entries, and the ability to sort shows your entries in your preferred order
Widgets for your Home Screen and Lock Screen show your current streak or writing prompts that change throughout the day, so you can reflect on what’s going on in the moment
Phone
Recent calls search helps you find previous calls, voicemails and contacts using phone numbers, names, or even a word transcribed from a voicemail
Keypad search helps you quickly find and call existing contacts by typing in their number or name on the alphanumeric keypad
Automatic mic mode picks the right mic mode for you, toggling between Voice Isolation, Wide Spectrum, and Standard mode depending on your environment
Privacy
Locked apps let you protect your sensitive apps and the information inside them by requiring Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode to open them and hiding the content from search, notifications, and other places across the system
Hidden apps have the same protections as locked apps, plus they are placed in a new hidden apps folder that is locked, and you won't receive notifications or calls from the app
Improved Contacts permission empower you to choose which contacts to share with an app
Improved Bluetooth pairing lets developers offer a seamless pairing experience, while protecting your privacy
AirPods
Hands-free Siri Interactions let you respond to Siri announcements with AirPods by simply nodding your head ‘yes’ or shaking your head ‘no’
Voice Isolation on AirPods Pro provides clearer call quality for those you are speaking with, even in windy conditions or places with loud background noise
Personalized Spatial Audio for gaming with AirPods puts you in the middle of the action with sound that surrounds you combined with a new API for developers that makes it easier than ever to enable
Apple TV app
InSight delivers real-time information for every live-action Apple TV+ movies and shows that complements what you’re watching onscreen
Enhance Dialogue enables you to hear what’s being said onscreen more clearly, especially when loud effects or music is playing
Subtitles automatically appear at just the right times, like when the content language doesn’t match your device language, when you mute the audio, or when you skip back while watching a program
Notes
Audio recordings can be started right from inside a note, and kept with related comments, checklists, and documents
Live transcriptions show as you record audio, and transcripts are fully searchable so you can always find what you need (iPhone 12 and later)
Math in Notes let you enter expressions and equations in your note to have them solve instantly
Collapsible sections help you simplify and hide text in long notes; just tap next to a section header to lighten up your most text-heavy notes
Highlight text in your note with a choice of five colors allows you to make your text standout
Accessibility
Eye Tracking makes it possible for people to control iPhone with just their eyes (iPhone 12 and later and iPhone SE (3rd generation))
Music Haptics syncs the iPhone Taptic Engine with the rhythm of songs so those who are deaf or hard of hearing can enjoy the Apple Music catalog (iPhone 14 and later)
Vocal Shortcuts help people with severe atypical speech record custom utterances that trigger specific actions
Vehicle Motion Cues can help reduce motion sickness for passengers in moving vehicles by placing dots on the screen that move with the vehicle without interfering with content
This release also includes other features and improvements:
Emergency SOS Live Video enables you to share streaming video and recorded media during emergency calls with participating US emergency operators (iPhone 14 and later)
Math Notes in Calculator let you evaluate expressions, assign variables and even create graphs on iPhone
Calendar lets you create, view, edit and complete reminders alongside with your events
Recently Deleted list in Reminders lets you view and retrieve deleted reminders
Screen sharing in SharePlay lets you tap and draw on someone’s screen or ask for permission to remotely control their iPhone and take actions yourself
Scenes in Freeform allow you to organize your content into sections, then save, label and order them as you like
Redesigned Fitness+ makes it easy to find personalized recommendations, or search for something specific
Guest access in Home app lets you provide visitors with date and time- based access to locks, garage doors, and alarm systems
Electricity usage and rate plan information in Home app are displayed for eligible customers when connecting their utility account, starting with Pacific Gas and Electric Company in California
Repair Assistant prompts you to configure the genuine Apple parts replaced on your device after a repair (iPhone 12 and later)
Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For more information, please visit this website: https://www.apple.com/ios/ios-18
Some features may not be available for all regions or on all iPhone models. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/100100