Rarely does Apple give anything away. We pay for extra storage, we pay for their news and music, and we pay for AppleCare, but Apple’s annual free software upgrade for iPhones are always something I look forward to because they add new features to a product we already own. I’ve been trying out the new iOS18 beta software for iPhones, due to be released next month. The free upgrade offers many new features across multiple areas.
By making the software free, it not only benefits iPhone users, but it also benefits Apple and their developers, because it means most users will have the latest software, unlike the Android universe, where a multitude of Android phone designs are running a wide range of software versions. As one that has to keep apps working for a client, Android phones have become much more difficult to support and test.
One new feature coming to iPhones is the ability to schedule text messages. Write them now and send them at a predetermined time. This is much like the ability to schedule emails, a feature I regularly use to send reminders to myself that magically appear in my inbox at my choice of time and date. Text messages can’t be sent to yourself, so the primary value is to write now/send later, such as a message you’d like to be received in the morning, rather than disturb someone late at night. Speaking of messaging, there are a bunch of new special affects such as animated text, more emojis and stickers, and stuff probably more suited to Gen Z’ers.
Apple is also adding their version of artificial intelligence based on ChatGPT, calling it Apple intelligence (AI, get it?) It will appear throughout the phone and can provide editing help to anything you write, and even provide suggested images to accompany your text. It will be rolling out slowly, but I’ve not yet encountered it on the current beta.
Another new feature that I did try is messaging over satellites while off the grid. I was tubing on the Madison RIver in Montana far away from cellular service, when I noticed that my phone displayed a new satellite icon at the top right of the screen where the cellular signal is usually located. When I opened the Messaging app it told me to be sure my phone was in direct site of the sky, went through a short excercise to find the nearest satellite, and told me a satellite would be in range in one minute if I wanted to send a message. I sent a test message and confirmed later that it was received. Now that’s almost magic.
Apple has said iOS 18 will also continue to support satellite-based Emergency SOS which also lets you stream video and audio on emergency calls. Apple is not charging for the satellite services at this time. Do you remeber the Breitling watch a couple of decades ago that tried to do something similar, but for thousands of dollars more? And then there was the huge, clunky satellite phone for thousands of dollars?This is truly a useful feature for those that find themselves in the wilderness or in emergency situation with no cell service. The only requirement is a view of the sky.
Another big change is Apple Photos. When I opened the app, instead of seeing all my photos, I saw various groupings organized by people, by travel locations, by pets, etc. You can also create your own groupings by whatever search term you chose (by a specific person, by cars, by wine, etc.) The app uses image recognition, GPS data, and text data in the images, and does a remarkably good job. However, I did find that all the groupings got in the way of quickly reviewing recent pictures.
Here’s a tip that takes advantage of the image and text recognition. Take photos of your credit cards, medical, insurance and other important documents to have the information accessible all the time. You can retrieve the images by just typing any word that’s on the document, such as Visa, social, or Allstate.
One of the most useful features for travelers in Photos is “Shared album,” where a group of iPhone users on vacation is able to send their favorite photos to a new album for all to share. That’s a feature that’s been in for many years, but I find many are unaware of it.
Lastly, the Calculator has been a simple 4-function app for years, but now has two new modes, a scientific calculator and a free form area where you can write mathematical expressions using your finger and it will calculate and display the answer. [See comments below]
iOS18 is designed to work on phones from the iPhone 10 series and newer. For a more detailed look at what’s coming check this reveal from Apple.
