According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is planning a major update to its iPhone operating system, iOS 18. He says that this update could be the “biggest” software update in the history of the iPhone.
Gurman shared this news in the Q&A section of his newsletter Power On.
“I’m told that the new operating system is seen within the company as one of the biggest iOS updates – if not the biggest – in the company’s history,” he wrote.
Although he did not reveal many details about the features of iOS 18, he mentioned plans to share more information in the future.
But there are a few changes we are already looking forward to in iOS. One of the expected features is support for Rich Communication Services (RCS), a messaging standard that will improve communication between iPhones and Android devices.
In November 2023, Apple announced its intention to support RCS in the Messages app on the iPhone, starting “later” in 2024. And this timeline is likely to coincide with the launch of iOS 18.
With RCS support, iPhone users will be able to send high-resolution photos and videos, enjoy read receipts and typing indicators, and even participate in group chats with Android and iPhone users.
In addition, Apple is also working on generative artificial intelligence technology, which, according to Gurman, “should improve Siri and the Messages app’s ability to ask questions and automatically complete sentences.”
Gurman notes that Apple is also exploring the possibility of integrating similar AI features into various other applications, including Apple Music, Pages, Keynote, and Xcode.
In addition, according to The Information, Apple plans to integrate large language models into Siri, which will allow users to automate complex tasks through deeper integration with the Shortcuts app. This feature is expected to be part of the iPhone software update in 2024, probably iOS 18.
These are just some of the rumored features expected to be included in iOS 18. We expect more details to be released soon.
