The massive day is lastly right here: Apple’s It is Glowtime occasion is beginning at this time at 1PM ET (you possibly can watch it right here and observe Engadget’s Apple occasion liveblog, too). It is anticipated to announce the brand new iPhone 16 lineup, in addition to new Apple Watch and AirPods fashions. These telephones can have iOS 18 already put in, so you will not must improve at buy — here is when the iPhone 16 fashions are anticipated to hit shops. However in the event you’re not upgrading to a brand new iPhone this yr, when Apple releases iOS 18, you could discover that your older telephone’s working system is not supported anymore.
Usually annually, 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 homeowners could not replace to iOS 17 and missed out on some notable options.
We’ll assist you to discover out in case your iPhone will help iOS 18 — which is anticipated to change into accessible in roughly two weeks — in addition to Apple Intelligence. Undecided what’s coming with the brand new replace? This is a abstract of the most important bulletins from WWDC, together with an summary of iOS 18.
iPhones suitable with iOS 18
We’ve excellent news: When you had an eligible telephone final yr while you up to date to iOS 17, that gadget ought to nonetheless be suitable with iOS 18, in response to Apple. Which means you will not have to purchase a brand new telephone to take a look at many of the new software program options.
Put one other means, you probably have an iPhone from the 2017 mannequin yr or earlier (iPhone 8 or iPhone X), you possibly can’t improve to the most recent iOS, however your telephone ought to proceed to work — albeit with out the most recent bells and whistles.
Is your iPhone suitable with Apple Intelligence?
Whereas your older gadget will nonetheless be capable to help the most recent iOS, chances are high that you just will not get to attempt the Apple Intelligence beta but. Until you’ve got an iPhone 15 Professional or iPhone 15 Professional Max — the top-end 2023 fashions — your iPhone is not eligible. It is a protected guess that the brand new iPhone 16 fashions might be totally Apple Intelligence suitable, however we’ll must await the official particulars on the September 9 occasion.
iOS 18 new options to anticipate
Whereas Apple Intelligence is by far the most important 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 accessible on older iPhone fashions except for the iPhone 15 Professional sequence. However the remainder of the iOS 18 options will hit the handsets listed above. Listed below are simply among the highlights you possibly can anticipate while 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 that you could entry immediately 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 be capable to add animations to your textual content messages. The replace can also be bringing RCS to iPhones to raised help 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 structure. The up to date carousel view that was touted at WWDC was eliminated in the course of the beta course of.
Personalised dwelling display structure: You may lastly get the choice to rearrange your apps — as an illustration, you possibly can go away the center area open to show your property display picture, and as an alternative have your apps alone the border of the display. It’s also possible to change the looks of the apps by tinting them with any colour, 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.
Is there an iOS 18 beta?
There may be, and you’ll obtain it now — as long as you are prepared to stay with the glitches and challenges of beta software program. If you have not already downloaded it at this level, we might recommend simply ready for the true deal to be launched in just some days.