The big day is finally here: Apple’s It’s Glowtime event starts today at 1pm ET (you can watch it here, and follow Engadget’s Apple event liveblog), and the new iPhone 16 lineup is expected to be announced, as well as new Apple Watch and AirPods models. These phones will come with iOS 18 already installed, so there’s no need to upgrade when you buy them. Here’s when we expect to see iPhone 16 models in stores: But if you don’t upgrade to a new iPhone this year, your older phone’s operating system may no longer be supported when Apple releases iOS 18.
Typically, every year, some older iPhone models are removed from Apple’s iOS compatibility list. For example, last year the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X were removed from the compatibility list. This means that owners of these iPhones couldn’t update to iOS 17 and missed out on some notable features.
We’ll help you find out if your iPhone supports iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence, which is due to be released in about two weeks. Still not sure what the new update will bring? Here’s a rundown of the biggest news announced at WWDC, including a rundown of what iOS 18 will bring.
Which iPhones are compatible with iOS 18?
There’s good news: According to Apple, if you had an eligible phone when it updated to iOS 17 last year, your device should be compatible with iOS 18. This means you don’t need to buy a new phone to try out most of the new software features.
In other words, if you have an iPhone from the 2017 model year or earlier (iPhone 8 or iPhone X), you won’t be able to upgrade to the latest iOS, but your phone should still work, even if it doesn’t have the latest features.
Is your iPhone compatible with Apple Intelligence?
Older devices can still support the latest iOS, but you may not have had a chance to try out the Apple Intelligence beta just yet. Your iPhone won’t be eligible unless you have the top-of-the-line iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max from 2023. We’re sure the new iPhone 16 models will be fully compatible with Apple Intelligence, but we’ll have to wait for official details to be announced at the September 9 event.
What to expect in iOS 18
While Apple Intelligence is by far the biggest update coming with iOS 18, its features will be rolled out gradually over the coming months. And its more advanced features won’t be available on older iPhone models outside of the iPhone 15 Pro series. However, the rest of iOS 18’s features will be available on the devices listed above. Here are some of the highlights you can expect when you download Apple’s new software later this month:
Passwords App: Securely store all your credentials in one place, including passwords and security alerts that you can access directly within the app. (This feature is currently in Settings, but moving it to the new app will make it easier to find and access.)
Improved Messages app: The new iMessages experience adds options to make text bold, italics, underline, and strikethrough. You can also add animations to your text messages. This update also brings RCS to iPhone to better support Android compatibility.
Organized Photo Library: The Photos app has been redesigned to let you create and pin your own collections within the app, such as “Wedding Photos” or “Trip to Aruba.” The current tabbed bottom will be removed in favor of a grid layout. The updated carousel view that was advertised at WWDC has been removed during the beta process.
Personalized Home Screen Layout: You finally have the option to rearrange your apps. For example, you can leave the center space free for your home screen photos and instead place only the apps on the screen borders. You can also change the look of your apps by tinting them in any color or making them larger.
There are plenty of other tweaks and improvements to keystone apps like Maps, Calendar, and Safari.Here’s Cherlynn Low’s picks for the best hidden features of iOS 18 and its sister Apple operating system updates, based on the betas released earlier this year.
Is there an iOS 18 beta?
Yes, you can download it now, but only if you can tolerate glitches and issues with beta software. If you haven’t downloaded it yet at this point, we recommend waiting for the official version to be released in a few days.
