Apple's most important and anticipated update is now live for users, as iOS 18 is now available for all to download and install to get the latest experiences on iPhones. Users who have eligible devices for the iOS 18 update are in for a treat as Apple made it significantly cater more customization and personalization features, heeding the previous requests of users.
While iOS 18's features have parallels to Google's Android, the Cupertino tech giant still made it a unique experience for iPhone users to enjoy.
iOS 18 is Now Live with Customization, Personalization Features
Apple
Cupertino now announced that iOS 18 is now available for all eligible iPhone models to download, and it touts the latest significant ways to "personalize" the smartphone experience based on their preferences. This is made possible by the new Customization features on the iPhone, greatly affecting its Home Screen's look.
For users who are already on iOS 18, they may pull up Home Screen customization by either long-pressing an app or long-pressing on a blank space in an unlocked iPhone, pressing 'Edit' on the top-left corner, and lastly choosing'Customize.'
Users will be taken to a new UI that offers a slew of new options to choose from including Automatic, Dark, Light, or Tinted themes for Home and on apps. Tinted is the latest feature available here as it offers to overlay a certain colorway for the apps and widgets, offering a uniform look at the Home Screen.
Alternatively, users may click on the 'eyedropper' icon to easily copy a certain color for the tints or the 'Sun' icon to switch between light or dark themes easily.
Lastly, users may opt for the 'Small' which is the default app icon size, or the 'Large' option where Home Screen apps would appear larger, but lose their names underneath each tile. This size change would also apply to Widgets.
One of the most anticipated features is Apple Intelligence, but Apple revealed that it would not yet be available until October when it would be exclusive to the iPhone 16 series, iPhone 15 Pro series, and M-series Macs.
Moreover, Apple would also bring RCS for interoperability with non-iPhone devices, with Siri also getting a revamp with ChatGPT. The Passwords app also arrives for users, alongside Game Mode improvements, Safari upgrades, and other built-in Apple app enhancements.
Apple's iOS 18 Compatibility
Despite iOS 18's significantly advanced capabilities and functions, it offers support for fairly old iPhones that still exist, but not all will get Apple Intelligence.
Apple's latest iOS update will be supported by 2018's iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and XS Max models, the oldest smartphones eligible to get the 18th-gen update. Additionally, it is also available from the iPhone SE 2nd Generation from 2020 and the SE 3 from 2022.
From the iPhone 11 to the iPhone 16 series, iOS 18 is available to download and install starting today. However, it is worth noting that Apple Intelligence would only be coming to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, as well as the entire iPhone 16 series.