Apple previewed iOS 18, the latest version of the iPhone operating system, at Monday’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024 keynote address.

As a major release, iOS 18 comes with customizable home screens and app icons, a revamped Photos App, new ways for users to manage their inbox in Mail and Messages over satellite, and new features like Apple Intelligence.

Let’s have a look at the key new features introduced in iOS 18:

1. Customisable Home And Lock Screens

With iOS 18, Apple allows you to customize the Home Screen, Lock Screen, and Control Center. You can now arrange apps and widgets in any open space on the Home Screen, including placing them right above the dock.

Further, you can customize the look of the app icons and widgets by adding a dark mode filter or color tints. The redesigned Control Center offers easier access to daily functions, as it allows you to switch the controls at the bottom of the Lock Screen.

2. Revamped Photos App

The newly redesigned Photos App neatly organizes your photo library into a single view, with new collections to help you browse your photos based on themes like recent days, favorite people and pets, and trips. In addition, you can pin your favorite collections for quick access and enjoy auto-playing content to bring your past memories to life while browsing.

3. Upgraded Messages App, Plus RCS

iMessage gets all-new text effects that amplify any letter, word, phrase, or emoji with dynamic, animated appearances and expanded Tapback options to include any emoji or sticker. Further, the Messages app supports the RCS (Rich Communication Services) protocol for richer media and more reliable group messaging. Plus, iOS18 also introduces Messages to help you stay connected when cellular and Wi-Fi connections aren’t available.

4. Mail App Updates

iOS 18 brings on-device categorization in the Mail app, sorting incoming emails into Primary (personal and time-sensitive), Transactions (confirmations and receipts), Updates (news and social notifications), and Promotions (marketing emails and coupons). A new digest view compiles all of the relevant emails from a business, allowing you to scan critical messages from less important ones quickly.

5. Safari Updates

In iOS 18, the Safari web browser now offers Highlights, an even easier way to discover key information about a webpage. For example, you can quickly see the location of a restaurant, hotel, or landmark or listen to an artist’s track right from an article about the song or album. Safari’s redesigned Reader offers a distraction-free and streamlined view of articles with a summary and a table of contents for lengthy articles.

6. New Passwords App

In iOS 18, Apple is introducing a new dedicated password app called “Passwords,” built on the foundation of Keychain. This app makes it easy to access passwords, passkeys, Wi-Fi passwords, and verification codes all in one place. It will also alert you to common password weaknesses and known data breaches.

7. Locked And Hidden Apps

With iOS 18, you can lock an app to keep others from seeing them on your phone. You can also hide an app by moving it to a locked, hidden apps folder for additional privacy. Further, apps can be locked with Face ID, Touch ID, or the device passcode; information from these apps won’t surface in search, call history, or notifications.

8. Apple Intelligence

With brand-new systemwide Writing Tools built into iOS 18, Apple’s new AI platform, dubbed “Apple Intelligence,” will help you rewrite, proofread, and summarize text “nearly everywhere” on the iPhone, including Mail, Notes, Pages, and third-party apps. Further, Image Playground will allow you to create playful images for use in messages in seconds and dynamic Memories creation in Photos.

With the power of Apple Intelligence, you can type to Siri and switch between text and voice to communicate with Siri in whatever way feels right for the moment. OpenAI’s ChatGPT will also be integrated into Siri and the systemwide Writing Tools across Apple’s platforms.

9. Other Features

iOS 18 also brings updates to Apple Maps, Gaming, Apple Pay, SharePlay with Apple Music, AirPods, Notes, Journal, Calendar, and Health and Home apps.