iOS 18 is expected to showcase the cutting edge of innovation, with advanced features that will define the future of iPhone.
In the "Subscribers-only Q&A" section of today's Power On newsletter, Gurman says that iOS 18 has the potential to be the "biggest" software update in iPhone history.
“I'm told that the new operating system is seen within the company as one of the biggest updates to iOS - if not the biggest - in the company's history," he wrote.
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Gurman notes that he plans to share more details about specific features and changes planned for iOS 18 in the future, but we already know about two new features that will likely be included in the update, as described below.
iOS 18 will be released in September, and the first beta for developers will be released during Apple's annual developer conference, WWDC, in June.
RCS Support
In November 2023, Apple announced that it will support the Cross-Country Communication Standard (RCS) in the Messages app on iPhone by "no later than" 2024, so it will likely be a feature of iOS 18 based on that timeline.
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Support for RCS will result in the following improvements to the default messaging experience between iPhone and Android devices:
- Higher resolution photos and videos
- Voice messages
- Typing clues
- Receipt receipts
- Wireless Wi-Fi communication between iPhone and Android devices
- Improved group chat, including the ability to leave a chat for iPhone users participating with Android users
- Improved encryption compared to SMS
Smart Siri
Gurman predicts that iOS 18 will feature generative AI technology which "will improve the way both Siri and the Messages app can answer questions and self-complete sentences." He said that Apple has also been looking at generative AI features for other apps on various platforms, including Apple Music, Pages, Keynote and Xcode.
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The Information reported that the Apple plans to integrate large language processing models into Siri to allow users to automate complex tasks, a feature that will likely be included in an iPhone software update expected in 2024, possibly iOS 18.
Generative ai made a strong appearance in 2022, when OpenAI released ChatGPT, a chatbot that can respond to questions and other commands. Google and Microsoft released similar chatbots last year, as more companies struggle to enter the space. The chatbots are trained in large language models, allowing them to respond like a human.
Source of information: macrumors.com
