Apple’s iOS 18 launch date is September 16 however is your iPhone suitable? Listed below are the eligible units and new options to anticipate

In simply three days, you can obtain iOS 18 in your eligible iPhone. Apple introduced the discharge date at its iPhone occasion on Monday, together with the brand new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro fashions, and the brand new Apple Watch Series 10 and AirPods 4 units (here is everything Apple revealed at the iPhone 16 launch event). If you happen to’re fortunate sufficient to snag one of many new telephones on September 20, they’re going to have already got iOS 18 put in. However when you’re sticking together with your older iPhone, you may take a look at iOS 18 when it turns into accessible as a free obtain on September 16. Not each iPhone, nonetheless, will have the ability to run iOS 18, and even those that may will not have all of the bells and whistles of the brand new Apple Intelligence options.

That replace stratification is nothing now. Usually every year, some older iPhone fashions are faraway from Apple’s iOS eligibility record. Final yr, as an illustration, the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X had been left off the compatibility record. That meant these iPhone homeowners could not replace to iOS 17 and missed out on some notable features. On the flip aspect, some older {hardware} will get main new options: Contemplate the upcoming software program replace that successfully turns current AirPods Professional headphones right into a hearing aid, full with a built-in listening to check. (Apple simply received FDA approval to launch that function later this yr.)

We’ll make it easier to discover out in case your iPhone will help iOS 18, in addition to Apple Intelligence. In order for you a full record of all the brand new iOS 18, take a look at Apple’s exhaustive list in PDF form (via MacRumors).

iPhones suitable with iOS 18

We’ve got excellent news: If you happen to had an eligible telephone final yr whenever you up to date to iOS 17, that system ought to nonetheless be suitable with iOS 18, according to Apple. Meaning you will not have to purchase a brand new telephone to take a look at a lot of the new software program options.

Put one other approach, you probably have an iPhone from the 2017 model year or earlier (iPhone 8 or iPhone X), you may’t improve to the newest iOS, however your telephone ought to proceed to work — albeit with out the newest and best options.

Is your iPhone suitable with Apple Intelligence?

Whereas your older system will nonetheless have the ability to help the newest iOS, chances are high that you simply will not get to attempt the Apple Intelligence beta but subsequent month. Except you’ve got an iPhone 15 Professional or iPhone 15 Professional Max — the top-end 2023 fashions — or one of many new iPhone 16 fashions, your iPhone isn’t eligible.

When will Apple Intelligence options be accessible?

In case your system is suitable with Apple Intelligence, you can begin taking part in with a few of these options in October, after they start to hit these newer iPhones in subsequent updates.

Apple Intelligence can be accessible in English within the US this October. In December, it will turn out to be accessible in localized English to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK. Extra language help, together with Chinese language, French, Japanese and Spanish, can be accessible someday subsequent yr, Apple says.

As beforehand reported, Apple Intelligence will not be making its way to EU countries anytime quickly. The American tech large stays locked in a battle with European regulators over enforcement particulars of the EU’s Digital Markets Act.

iOS 18 new options to anticipate

Whereas Apple Intelligence is by far the largest replace coming with iOS 18, its options are going to be launched extra piecemeal over the following few months. And the extra superior options will not be accessible on older iPhone fashions other than the iPhone 15 Professional sequence. However the remainder of the iOS 18 options will hit the handsets listed above. Listed below are simply among the highlights you may anticipate whenever you obtain Apple’s new software program later this month.

Passwords app: Securely retailer all of your credentials in a single place, together with passwords and safety alerts that you may entry straight within the app. (Whereas this performance at the moment exists in Settings, shifting it to a brand new app ought to make it simpler to find and entry.)

Improved Messages app: A brand new iMessages expertise is bringing the choice to daring, italicize, underline and strikethrough your textual content. You will additionally have the ability to add animations to your textual content messages. The replace can also be bringing RCS to iPhones to better support Android compatibility.

An organized photographs library: The Photos app is getting a redesign, which lets you create and pin your individual collections within the app — assume “wedding ceremony photographs” or “journey to Aruba.” It removes the present tabbed backside and leans right into a grid structure. The up to date carousel view that was touted at WWDC was removed during the beta process.

Customized residence display screen structure: You will lastly get the choice to rearrange your apps — as an illustration, you may depart the center area open to show your property display screen picture, and as a substitute have your apps alone the border of the display screen. You may as well change the looks of the apps by tinting them with any shade, in addition to making the apps bigger.

There are many different tweaks and enhancements to keystone apps like Maps, Calendar, Safari and extra. Try Cherlynn Low’s selections for the best hidden features of iOS 18 and its sibling Apple working system updates, based mostly on the betas launched earlier this yr.

Is there an iOS 18 beta?

There may be, and you’ll download it now — as long as you are prepared to stay with the glitches and challenges of beta software program. If you have not already downloaded it at this level, we might counsel simply ready for the true deal to be launched in just below per week.

What about MacOS Sequoia, iPadOS 18, WatchOS 11 and tvOS 18?

This is when you may anticipate the most recent software program updates to return to your different Apple units.

• MacOS Sequoia: September 16

• iPadOS 18: September 16

• WatchOS 11: September 16

• tvOS 18: Apple hasn’t introduced an official date for its newest tvOS software program replace. It is nonetheless in public beta testing at the moment, although it is near the ultimate phases, per MacRumors.

• visionOS 2: September 16

As for AirPods, Apple has reportedly pushed new firmware to AirPods Professional earbuds to prep for the added options coming to that system with iOS 18. (Simply observe that hearing aid functionality talked about above might not hit with the primary wave of updates. regardless of its current FDA clearance.)

Replace, September 12, 3:28PM ET: Added particulars in regards to the FDA approving the listening to help performance for AirPods Professional.

Replace, September 11, 12:13PM ET: New data added about new firmware pushed to AirPods Professional earbuds.

Replace, September 10, 9:54AM ET: Added launch dates for added Apple OS software program updates.

Replace, September 9, 5:00PM ET: Added particulars concerning the dearth of Apple Intelligence availability in EU nations.

Replace, September 9, 3:37PM ET: This story has been up to date with the introduced launch dates for iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence.