Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has shed light on upcoming features in iOS 18, and it appears Apple is addressing long-standing user requests. This update promises a significant overhaul to the iPhone experience, with a focus on customization, streamlined navigation, and the power of artificial intelligence.
The Control Center, a quick-access panel for system functions like Wi-Fi, display brightness, and volume, has seen little change since its last major update in iOS 11. Introduced in iOS 7, the feature became a full-screen interface with the release of the iPhone X in 2017. Despite previous rumors of redesigns for iOS 15 and iOS 17 that never materialized, Gurman’s credible insights suggest that this time, the revamp might indeed happen.
One of the most anticipated features is the ability to customize the Control Center more extensively. Currently, customization is limited, with fixed panels and controls occupying the upper half of the screen. Users might soon be able to move or turn off some of these controls to better suit their needs. There is hope that third-party developers might be allowed to create buttons for the Control Center, enhancing its functionality and integration with more apps.
The Now Playing widget, often criticized for its small size and limited functionality, could become larger and more informative, displaying album art and a progress bar by default without the need for a long press. Additionally, the HomeKit section in Control Center, which currently auto-populates based on usage patterns, might see manual customization options, allowing users to select and arrange their smart home controls.
In addition to the Control Center, iOS 18 will also bring a redesigned Settings app. This overhaul is aimed at making the interface cleaner, better organized, and easier to navigate, reflecting similar changes expected in macOS 15. Key improvements include a more intuitive layout that consolidates related settings and streamlines the overall user experience. Additionally, the update promises a more powerful search function to help users quickly find specific settings.
While the Control Center and Settings app updates are significant, iOS 18 is also expected to be packed with AI-powered features. These enhancements will likely focus on improving Siri’s functionality, enabling it to handle more complex tasks and chains of commands. For example, users could ask Siri to summarize a meeting and send the summary via text in one request.
Apple will unveil iOS 18 at WWDC 2024, with the first developer beta available immediately after the keynote. The public beta will likely follow in July, with a wide release expected in September, coinciding with the launch of the iPhone 16 series.
(via Bloomberg)
