Everything Apple iOS 18 Will Do Android Already Does
What new features will iOS 18 introduce to improve the user experience on iPhones?
iOS 18 is set to introduce several new features to improve the user experience on iPhones. Some of these features include:
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Enhanced Home Screen and Control Center Customizability: iOS 18 will allow users to arrange app icons and widgets anywhere on the home screen grid, turn the iPhone on dark mode which changes app icons, and change the tint color of the home screen. The control center will also be more customizable, allowing users to group their favorite controls, including ones created by third-party apps. The flashlight and camera shortcuts on the lock screen will also be changeable.
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Scheduled Messages and More Tapback Reactions: The Messages app will have a lot of new features coming thanks to iOS 18. Scheduled messages, emoji tapbacks, and text effects were announced as improvements to the Messages app. The text effects will allow users to visually amplify their messages, while emoji tapbacks are ways to respond to text messages more expressively.
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Apple Intelligence: This is a new AI system that will be deeply integrated into iOS 18. It will unlock new ways for users to enhance their writing and communicate more effectively3. With brand-new system-wide Writing Tools built into iOS 18, users can rewrite, proofread, and summarize text nearly instantly3.
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New Features in Photos App: Photos is receiving its "biggest redesign ever" as the app will now be "unified to a single view". Filter options are coming to the app and users will be able to search through photos by the month or year they were taken. Screenshots can also be filtered out.
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Mail App Updates: The Mail app will be able to separate emails into sections to make users' inboxes more organized. Incoming email is separated into Primary for personal and time-sensitive emails, Transactions for confirmations and receipts, Updates for news and social notifications, and Promotions for marketing emails and coupons.
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Safari Updates: Safari will be able to make it easier to get the gist of articles or webpages quickly by finding key information and summarizing. For example, Safari will summarize a long article for users or find the location of a restaurant just by its name appearing on a webpage.
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Passwords App: The password keychain feature is turning into a full-blown app, called Passwords. According to Apple, Passwords safely stores all your credentials in one place. It can also sync your passwords across your Apple devices.
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Game Mode: This new mode will minimize background activities on your iPhone to improve your game's performance.
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Apple Pay Features: Users will get new ways to pay with Apple Pay, including the ability to redeem rewards and access installments from their eligible credit or debit cards.
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Messages via Satellite: iOS 18 will introduce a new feature that allows users to communicate over satellite in the Messages app when a cellular or Wi-Fi connection isn’t available.
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Lock and Hide Apps: iOS 18 will allow users to lock and hide apps. If an app is locked, it will then require your Face ID or passcode to unlock and access it.
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Apple Intelligence in Messages: Users will be able to create custom "Genmoji" to match any moment. All users will have to do is provide a description and a Genmoji will appear, along with other options to choose from. Genmojis can also be added inline in messages.
These are just a few of the many new features that iOS 18 will introduce to improve the user experience on iPhones.
What are the specific capabilities of the new Game Mode in iOS 18, and how does it compare to Android's game mode offerings?
The new Game Mode in iOS 18 aims to enhance gaming experiences on iPhones by maximizing frame rates and reducing background activity when playing games1. This feature will help to free up resources so that higher-end games can better utilize them. Additionally, Game Mode is expected to improve the response time with AirPods and gaming controllers, reducing lag and providing a more seamless gaming experience.
Comparatively, Android has offered game mode options since Android 12, with some gaming-focused smartphones providing their own specialized game modes. While the specific capabilities of Android's game mode offerings may vary between devices and manufacturers, they generally aim to optimize device performance for gaming by prioritizing resources, minimizing distractions, and enhancing gameplay experiences.
In summary, the Game Mode in iOS 18 appears to offer similar optimization features as those found in Android's game mode offerings, focusing on enhancing performance, reducing background activity, and improving input responsiveness for a better gaming experience on the iPhone.
In what ways will the introduction of RCS support in iOS 18 enhance messaging between iPhones and other devices?
The introduction of RCS (Rich Communication Services) support in iOS 18 will significantly enhance messaging between iPhones and other devices, particularly Android devices. RCS offers several advanced features that will improve the overall messaging experience, including:
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High-quality media sharing: RCS allows for sharing high-resolution images and videos, unlike SMS or MMS that enforce smaller file sizes and lower quality.
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Typing indicators and read receipts: RCS will enable users to see when their message is being typed and when it has been read, providing a more interactive and engaging messaging experience.
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Larger file sizes: With RCS, users can send larger documents and media files, making it easier to share content between devices.
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Group chats with advanced features: RCS supports more interactive group messaging, enabling features like group typing indicators and read receipts.
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Better security: RCS offers improved security compared to SMS and MMS, as it supports end-to-end encryption for messages. However, it should be noted that RCS on iPhone does not currently provide the same level of encryption as iMessage.
In summary, the introduction of RCS support in iOS 18 will greatly enhance messaging capabilities between iPhone users and users of other devices, particularly Android devices, by providing a more interactive, feature-rich, and secure messaging experience6.