iOS 18 Beta will be released next week: 25 new features

iOS 18 is about to be released. Apple will release the software update at the WWDC keynote on June 10 (1 a.m. Beijing time on June 11), and it is expected to introduce many new features and changes.

The first beta of iOS 18 should be available to members of the Apple Developer Program right after the WWDC keynote, with a public beta likely to follow in July.

The update should be widely released to all users in September, and it’s rumored to be compatible with the same iPhone models as iOS 17.

Here are some of the major new features and changes currently rumored for iOS 18:

Apple Maps: Custom routes and terrain maps.

Apple Music: Auto-generated playlists and smarter song transitions.

Apple News: Intelligently generates summaries of news articles.

Calculator: Several new features, including a sidebar listing recent calculations, an improved unit conversion interface, integration with the Notes app, and more. The app will eventually be available on iPad.

Calendar: Deeper integration with the Reminders app.

CarPlay: New accessibility features, including voice recognition.

Control Center: Updated interface, including a revamped music widget and improved HomeKit accessory controls.

Fitness: The app is getting a “complete overhaul” on iOS 18.

Freeform: New “Scenes” feature.

Health: New features powered by AI, but the specifics are unclear at this time.

Home Screen: You can place app icons anywhere on the grid and change the color of app icons.

Keynote and Pages: AI features automatically generate slides in Keynote, write faster in Pages, and more.

Magnifier:  New Reader mode, and the option to easily launch detection mode using the action button on newer iPhone models.

Mail: Email reply suggestions.

Messages:  RCS support, per-word effects, suggested replies, custom emojis, message replay, and a new Tapback icon.

Annotations: Built-in recording tool, audio transcription, and the ability to display mathematical notation.

Notifications: A summary of AI-generated notifications.

Photo: AI photo retouching.

Safari: A browsing assistant that can summarize web pages, and a “page eraser” tool.

Settings: Revamped interface, improved search functionality, and new accessibility features.

Shortcuts: Automate complex tasks more easily.

Siri: A smarter, conversational GPT-inspired version of Siri with more per-app control capabilities (2025).

Spotlight:  Smarter search results and improved sorting.

Voice Memos:  Audio transcription.