For months, there have been rumours that iOS 18 will be a significant update, possibly the largest in the program’s history. Now, a new report provides additional information about what to anticipate when the software is formally released next month.
These data are provided by Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, who is typically one of the most trustworthy reporters when it comes to correctly projecting Apple’s future plans and making leaks of its hardware and software releases beforehand.
Gurman lists some of the AI-powered improvements that are allegedly coming to iOS 18 (and macOS 15 in some situations) in his most recent Power On email. Here’s what we believe is likely to happen, according to his most recent report.
1. voice memo transcribing
These days, it’s normal practice to use AI to convert audio records to text (the Google Pixel Recorder app, for instance), and iOS 18 is reportedly adding this capability. It’s possible that it’s already included in the Voice Memos software that comes with iOS.
2. Photo retouching
We are also familiar with this now; take the generative AI editing features included on the Samsung Galaxy S24 series, for instance. Alternatives might be object erasure or movement, or colour optimisation (an update to the Photos app has previously been suggested).
3. Better searching
Gurman claims that AI will make searches on iOS 18 and macOS 15 “faster and more reliable”. As was previously reported, additional apps may provide search results, and natural language search queries may function better.
4. Automatic replies
If you’d want to delegate writing tasks to someone else, it appears that you will soon be able to create intelligent AI replies in the Apple Mail and Apple Messages applications. You will still have the opportunity to examine and change these recommendations before emailing them, though.
5. Safari improvements
This year, Safari is expected to receive a significant improvement. Gurman confirms past reports, stating that Safari would receive an AI-powered web search enhancement that should result in more relevant results and the option to quickly view summaries of the websites you visit.
6. A more natural Siri
As previously reported, Siri will become more personable and respond to queries more intelligently, acting less like a bot. According to Gurman’s report, Siri would provide more “natural-sounding interactions based on Apple’s own large language models”.
7. AI-generated emojis
An AI emoji machine is one AI-related innovation that Gurman’s report mentions that we were unaware of. This is supposed to automatically display customised emojis based on what you type, so you won’t ever have to waste time searching for an emoticon that fits your message.
8. Smart summaries
With iOS 18, you may anticipate seeing smart summaries in emails, websites, messages, and more. This has previously been leaked, and it might also include notifications. You should save a tonne of reading time if the feature performs as promised.
9. Home screen customizations
Although not directly linked to AI, Gurman reiterates that you may arrange the iOS 18 home screen app shortcuts in any way you choose—not just in a grid—and that you can alter their colours to fit a specific theme.
Gurman particularly mentions the changes mentioned above in his new report, but there may be more until iOS 18 is released. Some of the features include better math functions in Notes, seamless song transitions in Apple Music, and closer interaction between Calendar and Reminders.
Gurman’s latest article provides additional insight into Apple’s purported collaboration with OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT and Dall-E. It seems that Apple’s own AI models, which are kept on the iPhone and in the cloud, will be utilised to manage the fundamental AI functions mentioned above, but they won’t be able to support a fully functional AI chatbot.
Gurman claims that in order to provide customers with the choice of ChatGPT on the iPhone, Apple will collaborate with OpenAI. It’s unclear how this will be different from just using the ChatGPT app for iOS, but more extensive iPhone software integration is probably in the works. Along with all of these new features for iOS and macOS, Gurman said the alliance will be unveiled at WWDC 2024 on June 10.
Gurman claims that since Apple doesn’t want to rely solely on OpenAI, discussions are still going on to include Google Gemini as an AI chatbot alternative. However, that will not be discussed at the June WWDC 2024 event. Later on, additional chatbots might be added.
Additionally, according to this recent article, Apple will place a greater emphasis on the privacy of its AI tools than those provided by companies like Google and Meta, both on-device and in the cloud. Gurman concludes by mentioning that the AI features in iOS 18 may have a “preview” label affixed to them, signifying that they are still under development.
