Apple’s It’s Glowtime event is over (check out Everything Apple Revealed at the iPhone 16 Launch Event for more details). The event showed off the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, the new Apple Watch Series 10, and AirPods 4 devices. These phones come with iOS 18 already installed, so there’s no need to upgrade when you buy them. Those with older iPhones can try out iOS 18, which will be available as a free download on most new Apple devices on September 16th. However, not all iPhones can run iOS 18, and even those that can, won’t have all the features of the new Apple Intelligence features.
Tiered updates mean nothing now. 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 meant that those iPhone owners 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 what Apple Intelligence is up to. Still not sure what the new update has to offer? Here’s a rundown of the biggest announcements from WWDC, including a rundown of iOS 18.
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. That 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, although you won’t have access to the latest and greatest features.
Is your iPhone compatible with Apple Intelligence?
Older devices can still support the latest iOS, but they still might not be able to try out the Apple Intelligence beta until next month. Unless you have one of 2023’s top-of-the-line iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, or one of the new iPhone 16 models, your iPhone won’t be eligible.
When will Apple Intelligence features be available?
If your device is compatible with Apple Intelligence, you’ll be able to start trying out some of these features when they arrive on your new iPhone in an update starting in October.
Apple Intelligence will be available in English in the U.S. this October, followed by localized English versions for Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the U.K. in December. Apple says support for additional languages, including Chinese, French, Japanese and Spanish, will be available over the next year.
As previously reported, Apple Intelligence is not expected to be rolled out to EU countries anytime soon, as the American tech giant is still battling European regulators over the details of implementing the EU’s digital markets law.
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 live with the glitches and issues that come with beta software. If you haven’t downloaded it yet at this point, we recommend waiting for the official release, which will be released in less than a week.
Update, September 9th, 5pm ET: Added details about Apple Intelligence not being available in EU countries.
Update, Sept. 9, 3:37 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with the release dates for iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence.
