The Top New Features in Apple’s iOS 18 and iPadOS 18

Apple executives always picture caller hardware and package arsenic nan “best” aliases “biggest” ever, but nan transportation doesn’t usually unrecorded up to nan hype (see last year's iPads). However, iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 mightiness beryllium deserving of a fewer of those adjectives. The latest type of nan operating strategy has nan accustomed grade of year-over-year quality-of-life improvements, but Apple Intelligence steals nan limelight.

This is Apple's implementation of artificial-intelligence-powered tasks that person been sweeping done nan tech industry complete nan past fewer years. Even Siri sewage an upgrade, though we're still waiting for galore of nan promised features to arrive. Here are each nan caller iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 features, really to download nan existent version, and what precisely you’ll acquisition pinch Apple Intelligence.

Updated May 2025: We've added specifications astir iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5.

What Is Apple Intelligence?

Every awesome tech institution has been integrating artificial intelligence into its hardware and software, from Google and Samsung to Microsoft. Apple Intelligence is Apple's version, and it's nan word you'll spot nan institution propulsion astir complete nan adjacent fewer years; it powers galore of nan caller AI features successful its devices.

It's powered by Apple's ample connection models (partly trained done data from nan nationalist web, according to Axios’ Ina Fried). It requires Apple silicon, nan company's bespoke chips that person a hybrid architecture designed to tally AI tasks. Even though nan devices Apple Intelligence runs connected are tin of nan on-device processing needed to complete AI tasks, sometimes nan task is excessively large and needs to beryllium sent disconnected to nan cloud. When a task requires much processing, it'll beryllium sent to a unafraid information halfway stacked pinch computers that besides tally Apple silicon. While this method of computing is typically little private, Apple claims that its Private Cloud Compute platform focuses connected ensuring information privateness for each user. Only information applicable to your query is sent to these servers, and nan information is only utilized for your requests and ne'er stored.

Before you get excessively excited, Apple Intelligence is not disposable for every instrumentality that supports iOS 18. It's only supported connected prime processors (and languages).

• iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max (A17 Pro)
• iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus (A18)
• iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max (A18 Pro)
• iPhone 16e (A18)
• iPad Mini (A17 Pro)
• iPad Air (M1, M2, M3)
• iPad Pro (M1, M2, M4)
• MacBook Air (M1 and newer)
• MacBook Pro (M1 and newer)
• iMac (M1 and newer)
• Mac Mini (M1 and newer)
• Mac Studio (M1 Max and newer)
• Mac Pro (M2 Ultra)

What precisely is Apple Intelligence? Apple breaks down its cardinal capabilities into 3 buckets: Language, Images, and Action.

Throughout Apple's hardware and software, you'll find caller penning devices that tie connected nan powerfulness of generative AI to assistance your writing. This includes Rewrite, which tin thief alteration nan reside of your matter to sound much friends aliases much master (like successful an email), and Proofread, which much aliases little does what nan sanction suggests. You tin besides summarize selected matter pinch a tap.

These text-based improvements spell beyond writing. It besides powers Priority notifications, which look astatine nan apical of your notification database and summarize it truthful you get a much digestible summary astatine a glance. You tin move nan characteristic connected by going to Settings > Notifications> Prioritize Notifications. Similarly, nan Mail app offers Priority messages, which intends important emails will float to nan apical of your inbox. You tin besides get summaries of agelong emails, and a Smart Reply usability lets you quickly respond to emails (even answers to aggregate questions posed successful an email), not dissimilar what's available successful Gmail.

For now, however, Apple has paused notification summaries for news apps pursuing aggregate instances wherever nan characteristic failed to summarize articles accurately. Notifications summarized by Apple Intelligence will now look arsenic italicized text.

In nan Notes, Voice Memos, and Phone app, you tin deed nan grounds fastener (yes, moreover connected a call) to get an audio signaling pinch a transcript, and Apple Intelligence tin create a summary of that transcript. Apple says that successful states that require two-party consent for recordings, nan personification connected nan different extremity of nan statement will beryllium made alert that nan telephone is being recorded.

Finally, there's a new Focus mode called Reduce Interruptions that tin understand your individual context, truthful while it hides incoming worldly that could distract you, it knows capable astir what you've sewage going connected to let a matter from your babysitter to travel through.

The Apple Intelligence image features mostly revolve astir generating caller images done artificial intelligence. Much of this happens successful Image Playground, an acquisition baked into different apps (though it besides exists arsenic a stand-alone app). You tin make images based connected a description, suggested concepts, and moreover from group successful your Photos library. You person power complete nan style, and it tin beryllium tweaked to lucifer whatever's happening successful nan app you're utilizing it in. You tin besides take betwixt different styles, including Illustration, Animation, and (most recently) Sketch, which gives images a much natural, hand-drawn look.

Genmoji conscionable mightiness beryllium nan astir anticipated characteristic retired of everything Apple has announced. It lets you generate emojis straight from nan keyboard pinch matter prompts. You tin besides propulsion a person's photograph from your Photos room to make an emoji based connected their looks. You'll person to supply a explanation first, but past you tin set nan explanation until it suits what you are going for.

Image Wand is different image procreation strategy that useful specifically successful nan Notes app. With your digit aliases Apple Pencil, you tin circle a sketch to person Apple Intelligence create thing that looks much refined, but you tin besides circle a space, and it will make an image based connected nan surrounding text. It's an easy measurement to adhd much ocular assortment to your notes.

The Photos app is getting a fewer AI features. You tin make a Memory Movie by entering a explanation for illustration “All nan desserts I ate during nan summertime past year, group to a popular song,” and Apple's AI will find nan correct images and video, put them to a song, and trade a shareable movie retired of it. It'll besides beryllium easier to hunt for circumstantial photos—just picture what you want and it'll find it, moreover moments successful video clips (similar to Google's Ask Photos feature). Lastly, you tin erase unwanted objects successful nan inheritance of your photos pinch nan caller Clean Up instrumentality successful nan photograph editor, precisely for illustration Magic Eraser connected Pixel phones and Samsung's Object Eraser.

The last portion of Apple Intelligence is arguably 1 that mightiness beryllium utilized nan astir often, and it involves Siri. The adjunct has a caller look—when activated, nan edges of nan surface will glow—and you tin now type your requests to Siri alternatively of utilizing your sound (something you've been capable to do pinch Google Assistant for respective years).