Summary
- iOS 18 is the biggest update ever, bringing customizable home screens and app icons, plus new features like Apple Intelligence.
- All iPhones from XR to 15 Pro support iOS 18, but Apple Intelligence requires the A17 Pro chip, and is limited to 15 Pro models.
- iOS 18 is available now as a developer beta, with a stable public beta expected in July and full release in the fall.
Apple officially revealed iOS 18, the next operating system that will power all the best iPhones in the fall, on June 10 at the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference. Billed as the biggest iOS update ever, the showcase of iOS 18 did not disappoint. It includes long-overdue features, such as customizable home screens and app icons, and adds truly new ones as well — like Apple Intelligence. If you're eager to learn what's new with iOS 18, which phones support it, and when you can get it, you're in the right place. We've got all the details right here, so read on to learn what's in store for iPhones later this year.
Which iPhones will support iOS 18?
Every device that got iOS 17 will also get iOS 18 — but there's a catch
Luckily, Apple didn't drop support for any iPhone models with iOS 18. Here's the full list of supported devices:
- iPhone XR
- iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max
- iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone SE 2, iPhone SE 3
However, if you're looking forward to the Apple Intelligence features coming to iOS 18, that's a whole different story. These tools require either an A17 Pro system-on-a-chip or an M-series chip to run. For now, that means the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are the only two iPhones that can make use of Apple Intelligence. We expect the next crop of iPhones to support Apple Intelligence, too — but it's unclear whether the base iPhone 16 models will get AI or if it'll be a premium feature.
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When will iOS 18 be released?
And better yet, how can I install it?
iOS 18 is available today as a developer beta, and that means you probably shouldn't install it on your main device. This version of iOS 18 will be the most unstable of any beta, as it'll only get better from here. Looking ahead, we usually see a public beta that's more stable in July. After that, the public release of iOS 18 will roll out widely in the fall, often sometime in September timed up with Apple's new iPhone releases. If you can't wait till the fall and are willing to accept the risks, we have a full guide to installing the iOS 18 developer beta on your iPhone. This year, doing so is quicker and easier than ever.
Everything new in iOS 18 so far
We'll continue to learn more about Apple's plans for iOS 18 as we test the developer beta hands-on, but we already know a lot about the future update. Some of the features and changes below were officially announced by Apple at WWDC, others were included on the company's preview page, and some were spotted by our own testers.
Apple Intelligence
We expected Apple to unveil a suite of artificial intelligence features at WWDC, and it did just that with the cleverly-named Apple Inteligence portfolio. iOS 18 will include a mix of Apple Intelligence features that run on-device or in the company's "Private Compute Cloud." Apple is setting up its own secure servers powered by Apple Silicon that'll help iPhone users take advantage of AI features that on-device processing can't handle yet. Plus, there is a partnership with OpenAI that'll let you use ChatGPT in iOS 18 without an account, and without sharing data with OpenAI. The third-party features are all opt-in, and you have the choice of connecting a ChatGPT Plus account for more access.
Unfortunately, this is exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max for now. If you're interested in all the details about Apple Intelligence, check out our full breakdown below.
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A redesigned home screen
Apple is finally giving iPhone users full control of their Home Screens with the iOS 18 update. You're no longer confined to the pre-set app grid — apps and widgets can be placed anywhere. In fact, apps and widgets are essentially one in the same now. You can choose a larger or smaller icon for apps, or long press to reveal an option to resize an app and turn it into a widget. There are now themes, too, that let you adjust the color scheme of all your apps, widgets, and more at once. iOS 18 adds the choice of a light theme, dark theme, and a "tinted" option that can be fully customized.
A smaller tidbit is that Apple now lets you customize the quick toggles that appear at the bottom of your lock screen. They used to be mapped to the flashlight (left) and camera (right) by default. Now, you have an array of different toggles that can be added to your lock screen for easy access.
Security and privacy was also a big part of Apple's reveal of the new iOS 18 Home Screen. That's because you can now lock or hide individual apps that may contain sensitive information. An app can be moved to a hidden app folder locked behind a passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID for complete discretion. Or, it can stay in plain view but still be locked by the same security measures. When an app is locked, you won't see notifications or sensitive information from it. With so much personal information on our iPhones, this is a must-have iOS 18 addition.
An overhauled control center
Matching the Home Screen and lock screen, the Control Center also received an overhaul in iOS 18. Gone is the cluttered continuous layout of the iOS 17 Control Center. Instead, this new Control Center marks the return of a multi-page layout. By default, there's a Control Center page for your favorite toggles, music and media playback, smart home controls, and connectivity settings. However, you can add more pages by expanding certain elements to fill up more space. The Control Center includes a power button in the top right corner that'll let you turn off your device without holding the power button. There's still no restart option, unfortunately.
iMessage improvements, plus RCS
If there's a theme with iOS 18, it's making features that were kind of possible before available in a proper fashion. For example, you could schedule texts on an iPhone, you'd just have to use a lengthy Shortcuts script to do it. Now, Apple is adding a true Send Later option that lets you schedule texts natively in iMessage. It's stored in the iMessage attachments menu, and is really intuitive to use. Aside from that, you can stylize text with formats like bold, italic, and strikethrough, adding some extra character to your iMessage chats. There's also custom emojis and more tapback reactions, if you're into that sort of thing.
Oh, and while Apple doesn't want you to know this, tapbacks now work between iPhones and Android phones over SMS. RCS messaging is coming with iOS 18 too — but yes, your bubbles will still be green.
An all-new Photos app
iOS 18 includes a redesigned Photos app that puts your memories front and center, ditching the previous multi-page layout in favor of a continuous-scroll look. It's now the app that looks most like its visionOS counterpart. The new Photos app is also better at searching through your library and recommending content.
Game Mode for iOS
Just after Assasins' Creed Mirage launched on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, Apple is here with an iOS 18 feature that'll seriously improve your gaming performance. It's called Game Mode, and if that sounds familiar, it should. Game Mode first appeared on macOS as a way to cut down on background processes and reduce latency for headphones and peripherals. Now, it's on iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 as well.
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A new Settings app
Lastly, Apple gave the Settings app a solid refresh with iOS 18. Plenty of things are moved around, and it all has to do with a new Apps tab at the bottom of the main list. It's like an App Library, but for your Settings app. Apple also added large and informative content blocks at the top of main pages to explain what kinds of settings can be changed within. This will take some getting used to, but could simplify the Settings app in iOS 18.
What's next for iOS 18?
We're still waiting to see what Apple Intelligence holds
Although many iOS 18 features are available now to developer beta testers, one thing is missing: Apple Intelligence. We still don't know what Apple Intelligence will look like on iPhones — outside of the pre-recorded demos Apple showed off at WWDC. The company says that Apple Intelligence will come in beta this fall, so we may see it appear in iOS 18 betas before then. For now, all that's left to do is wait. If you're eager to try out iOS 18, hold on just another month until public beta availability opens. It'll be a much more stable experience than trying to run the developer betas on your daily driver will be.
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