We’ve been hearing rumors for months about how iOS 18 will be a major upgrade — perhaps one of the biggest in its history — and a new report adds more details on what we should expect when the software is officially unveiled next month.
These details come courtesy of Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, usually one of the most reliable reporters when it comes to accurately predicting Apple’s future plans and early leaks of its software and hardware announcements.
In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman outlines some of the AI upgrades rumored to be headed to iOS 18 (and in some cases macOS 15). Here’s what we think might be coming based on its latest update.
1. Transcription of voice notes
Using artificial intelligence to turn voice memos into text is common practice these days — Google’s Pixel Recorder app does it, for example — and this is apparently one of the features heading to iOS 18. It could well be built right into the included Voice Memos app iOS.
2. Photo retouching
This is also something we now know: look, for example, at the generative AI editing tools available on the Samsung Galaxy S24 range. Options may include moving or deleting objects or optimizing colors (the Photos app was already slated for an upgrade).
3. Better search
According to Gurman, search in iOS 18 and macOS 15 will be “faster and more reliable” thanks to AI. As previously said, we can see search results from multiple apps and improved support for natural language queries when you’re searching for something.
4. Automatic replies
It looks like you’ll soon be able to generate smart AI replies in Apple Mail and Apple Messages if you want to outsource the typing duties. However, these will be drafts: you will still be able to review and edit them before submitting.
5. Safari improvements
Safari is getting a pretty big upgrade this year. Following up on earlier leaks, Gurman says that Safari will get improved AI-powered web search — which should mean more relevant results, along with the ability to get quick summaries of the websites you visit.
6. A more natural Siri
As previously announced, Siri will be easier to talk to and will also come up with better answers – more like a human and less like a bot. Siri will offer more “natural-sounding interactions based on Apple’s own large language models,” according to Gurman’s article.
7. Emojis generated by artificial intelligence
One AI-related feature mentioned in Gurman’s report that we haven’t heard about before is an AI emoticon engine. Apparently, it instantly brings up custom emojis based on what you’re typing — so you’ll never have to search for an emoji to match your message.
8. Smart summaries
Expect smart summaries to be everywhere in iOS 18: email, web pages, messages, and more. This is something that was previously leaked and may also be related to the announcement. If it works as it sounds, this feature should save you a lot of reading time.
9. Customizing the home screen
This isn’t directly related to AI, but following on from what he said earlier, Gurman says that app shortcuts on the iOS 18 home screen can be arranged in any way you like — not just in a grid — and that their colors can be changed to match. specific topic.
There’s likely more to come once iOS 18 finally sees the light of day — tighter integration between Calendar and Reminders, improved math features in Notes, smoother song transitions in Apple Music — but the features above are the ones Gurman is specifically referring to. his new message.
Apple AI and OpenAI ChatGPT
Gurman’s new report also sheds some light on Apple’s expected partnership with OpenAI, developer of ChatGPT and Dall-E. It appears that Apple’s own AI models — both stored on the iPhone and in the cloud — will be used to handle the basic AI tasks above, but won’t apply to powering a full-fledged AI chatbot.
To that end, Gurman says, Apple will work with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT to users on the iPhone. It’s unclear how this will differ from just using the ChatGPT iOS app, but deeper integration with the iPhone software is likely on the way. The partnership will be announced at WWDC 2024 on June 10, Gurman says, along with all these new features for iOS and macOS.
But Apple doesn’t want to rely solely on OpenAI, according to Gurman — so talks are still ongoing about offering Google Gemini as an AI chatbot. However, this will not be discussed at WWDC 2024 in June. More chatbots could also be added further down the line.
This new report also says that Apple will emphasize the privacy of its AI tools—both on-device and in the cloud—compared to those offered by the likes of Google and Meta. Finally, Gurman mentions that AI features in iOS 18 may be labeled “preview,” meaning they’re still in development.