iOS 18 Preview: Promising start, but the exciting bits and pieces are still missing
It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that iOS 18 is one of the biggest updates in the history of iOS. It’s not simply about the number of new features or changes coming our way, but also by laying the groundwork for the future of iOS.
It’s also a peculiar software update as far as content available right now in the public and developer betas is handled. Nearly half of the features coming with iOS 18 don’t actually have a specific release date just yet. That’s right, as you probably know, the spiciest and most interesting iOS 18 features are not coming out with iOS 18 this September, but later.
To better understand what Apple is preparing for us this fall, we got hold of the latest public beta, which showcases many of the upcoming features, but also skips many of the AI goodies that we can’t wait to play with!
Customization is back on the menu
Apple has been pumping iOS with customization features for the past few versions of iOS.
iOS 18 surely raises the bar as far as customization goes by giving us even more freedom in home screen customization. We are liberated from the constraints of the home screen grid… sort of. While app icons still have to adhere to the grid, you can now freely position your app icons wherever you want and leave blank spaces. The customization process still feels slightly janky, but is surely a step in the right direction.
Weirdly, Apple also lets you tint all of your app icons in whatever color you like. Although the extra customization liberties are appreciated, I can’t help but feel that messing with app icons’ standard design is a recipe for disaster. Once you click the “Tinted” option, you’re always guaranteed to make your iPhone’s interface significantly uglier and difficult to stomach. Maybe we don’t really need that much customization, after all.
We also get to personalize the Control Center, which was previously a “no-go zone” for any user adjustments. The options here are pretty expansive and let you tune up many aspects of this essential part of iOS. It’s great to be able to do that, though the efficiency has suffered a bit.
After the novelty wore off, I reverse-engineered to a classic-looking Control Center, with some slight tweaks, of course
Finally, you are now allowed to change the two lock screen shortcuts on your iPhone or remove them altogether. All fine and dandy, though I must admit, I definitely drew a blank as to what other shortcuts one could need more instead of the flashlight and the camera ones.
Overall, all the new customization options are welcome, but surely feels weird to have so much freedom in iOS, weird in a pleasing way.
Apple Intelligence
Well, for now, Apple Intelligence and all the AI features associated with it are not live yet. Some will launch in beta this fall, while others, like the redesigned Siri assistant, will arrive early in 2025.
Among the features coming this fall are the new Writing Tools features, which will use AI to help with text-related functions. You will be able to summarize, enhance, and even rewrite your text in a different style. Cool, but nothing we haven’t seen before already; the difference is that these Writing Tools are a first-party functionality developed by Apple, so we can expect a more stable experience.
And it’s not only the Writing Tools section of Apple Intelligence that feels familiar, it’s the other upcoming novelties. Genmoji, the AI-powered image creation app, as well as Image Playground, are also pretty normal functionalities in the AI era. The difference, once again, is that all features will be integrated into the operating system so that you wouldn’t have to resort to third-party apps and tools to achieve the same.
What I’m most excited about is the revamped Siri, which is coming in 2025. It has all the makings of that Siri revamp that we have been waiting for so long. Aside from getting much smarter and way more capable of understanding your queries, the next-gen Siri will be able to execute actions across your apps, which could be a game changer.
While such a capability doesn’t sound like something too outlandish, we are finally delving into proper AI territory for the regular Joe and the plain Jane. For decades and largely thanks to the entertainment industry, the term “AI” has been associated with super-capable and intelligent digital assistants like the ones in 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Trek, and Jarvis inside Tony Stark’s suit. The foundation will be laid for normal people to have access to a modern technology that might not be as powerful as the one in the movies just yet, but would finally make it feel like we are properly living in the 21st century.
New and overhauled apps
As with any major iOS update, expect some major overhauls to some essential apps.
Photos is the one to get fully redesigned with iOS 18. At first, I found it rather challenging to get accustomed to the new layout and the new workflow of the app, but one month in, muscle memory still can’t agree with Apple’s design approach. Surely, eventually things would click, but can’t say I’m the biggest fan of the major Photos revamp.
The changes introduced to the Messages app are all great, on the other hand! More ways to express yourself? Thank you very much, and RCS? Well, finally! If Messages is still your main ways of communication, then Apple has a treat incoming for you.
Finally, the new Passwords app is surely a step in the right direction in contrast with the convoluted Keychain that was hidden in the settings app before. Can’t say it will make me switch from ubiquitous Bitwarden, but if Apple continues adding new features, it just might entice me to use it exclusively.
Overall impressions
The iOS 18 is quite stable at the moment. The public beta feels rock solid, so if you understand the risks and are willing to try out the upcoming iOS for yourself, now is the perfect time.
Of course, it goes without saying that such things are expected of beta software; you simply can’t expect a bug-free experience. Backups are your friend, always have one.
At the end of the day, there isn’t that much going on for iOS 18 at the moment. Such a staggered release with so many of the intriguing features getting pushed back in time is something new for Apple, so it will be a long time before this (p)review will be considered complete.
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