Apple gets ready for AI: all the news on iOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and more
Apple has released iOS 18 — plus iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia , watchOS 11 , and other new updates — bringing several key updates to how the company’s devices operate and setting the stage for generative AI features.
iPadOS 18 has a calculator app and can solve math equations in notes, watchOS is keeping an eye out for sleep apnea , and now your iPhone can even message Androids with RCS.
Next month, Apple will beta test its first round of Apple Intelligence features in the iOS 18.1 update. We’ll be able to type to Siri and see a new animation, see AI-summarized notifications, and test new writing tools. However, other new abilities like image generation and built-in access to ChatGPT are further off , due to arrive as the company continues updating its software over the coming months.
Read on for all the news about Apple’s latest set of operating system updates.
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Halide’s advanced camera app is now as easy to launch as Apple’s
With iOS 18 and Halide’s recent update, the third-party camera app can now be opened without unlocking an iPhone. Image: Sebastiaan de With
Halide users who’ve upgraded their iPhones to iOS 18 are now able to quickly access the advanced camera app directly from their phone’s lockscreen without having to unlock it first. Previously, only the native iOS camera app could be conveniently accessed that way.
Although Halide offers advanced features like manual shutter speed adjustments and a “Process Zero” option that delivers images without any AI processing, accessing Apple’s camera app was always faster thanks to its lockscreen shortcut. Halide could be made accessible through a lockscreen widget, but actually getting into the third-party camera app required an iPhone to be unlocked using Face ID, Touch ID, or by entering a passcode.
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iOS 18 is a smart upgrade, even without the AI
The marquee feature isn’t here yet, but there’s still a lot to appreciate in iOS 18. Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge
It’s a weird year for iOS.
Usually, the new software version arrives all at once. Not so with iOS 18. The foundational stuff has arrived, and in a normal year, things like RCS support and a redesigned control center would be more than enough. But iOS 18’s headline feature, Apple Intelligence, isn’t even part of this initial release, and we may not see some of its most interesting features until well into 2025. The iOS 18 rollout starts now , and it’s just going to keep on rolling for the foreseeable future .
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Name that tune.
I was reminded this morning that Apple added a new “Music Haptics” accessibility feature to iOS 18 , which I hadn’t actually tried out yet, that subtly vibrates along to songs for those affected by hearing loss to feel.
Putting it on a box is fun!
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watchOS 11 is now available with sleep apnea detection for the Series 9 and Ultra 2
The Apple Watch Ultra’s Modular face can display watchOS 11’s Training Load feature and information from the Vitals app. Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge
Apple has just released watchOS 11 , the latest version of its smartwatch operating system, alongside iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 . The update, available for the Apple Watch Series 6 and later models, will finally allow users to take rest days without breaking their activity streak and introduces FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection .
Sleep apnea is a condition that can cause a person to stop breathing during sleep and can lead to an increased risk of hypertension and Type 2 diabetes if left untreated. Apple’s sleep apnea detection feature, which uses the accelerometer to monitor for small wrist movements associated with sleep interruptions, was announced alongside the new Apple Watch Series 10 and is now available for both the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. If sleep apnea is detected, the Apple Watch will alert the user and provide additional information that can be shared with a doctor, who can make a formal diagnosis.
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macOS Sequoia is out now with iPhone mirroring but no Apple Intelligence — yet
Image: Apple
Apple officially released macOS Sequoia on Monday , bringing features like the ability to wirelessly mirror your iPhone on your Mac, window tiling tools, and more. There are Apple Intelligence features on the way, too, but they aren’t available yet.
iPhone mirroring is arguably the coolest new feature in macOS Sequoia, and in his testing, my colleague David Pierce said it might change how you use your phone . When you open the phone mirroring app, your iPhone pops up, and you can navigate around it using your mouse and type things with your keyboard. Your iPhone’s notifications can also show up on your Mac. And later this year, you’ll be able to drag and drop things between your iPhone and your Mac.
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Apple confirms the iPhone 16 has 8GB of RAM
Image: The Verge
The iPhone 16 lineup has 8GB of RAM, from the base model to the 16 Pro Max, and it’s all thanks to Apple Intelligence. Apple VP of hardware tech Johny Srouji confirmed as much in an interview with Geekerwan , published yesterday, that 9to5Mac spotted .
Srouji explained in the interview that “DRAM is one aspect” when it comes to deciding hardware characteristics needed for Apple Intelligence, saying that the feature “led us to believe we need to get to 8GB.” He added that the extra RAM would also “help immensely” for tasks like high-end gaming on devices.
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Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 could forever change how people access hearing aids
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
Between flashy shots of a sleek new Apple Watch and a colorful array of iPhones, Apple made a major announcement for a two-year-old product: the AirPods Pro 2. The earbuds will soon gain a hearing aid function that anyone can access, a move that will provide a cheaper alternative to traditional hearing aids and an all-in-one solution that could change the way people get help for hearing loss.
The Food and Drug Administration signed off on over-the-counter hearing aids in 2022, giving people access to cheaper alternatives that don’t require them to see a doctor. Provided Apple receives approval from the FDA, Apple’s new “clinical-grade” over-the-counter hearing aid capability will roll out as a free software update this fall. Some people with hearing loss have already used the AirPods Pro as a way to amplify sound, but this update will have the FDA’s stamp of approval and will come with a few other benefits.
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iOS 18 has a tool to help configure genuine replacement parts.
The tool, “Repair Assistant,” will be able to configure things like batteries cameras, and displays, MacRumors reports .
Apple announced earlier this year that it would open the iPhone to repairs with used genuine parts .
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Here’s everything coming in iOS 18.
Apple published a giant PDF document that’s just a simple list, with brief descriptions, of all the new features coming to iOS 18 over the next several months.
As MacRumors notes , it’s more than 250 items long, so dig in, nerds — I know I will.
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iOS 18 allows iPhone users to pause video recordings
The new pause option for iOS 18 can be seen here underneath the recording button. Image: Tom Warren / The Verge
Apple has added a new Camera app feature in the latest iOS 18 beta that gives iPhone users a dedicated option to pause video recordings. The feature, spotted by 9to5Mac , is coming to all iOS 18-supported iPhone models when the OS update is released on September 16th, unlike the wider “Camera Control” tools that are exclusive to the iPhone 16 .
The feature will finally enable iPhones to film multiple shots in a single video instead of the current process that requires users to take separate recordings that must be edited together. When updated to iOS 18, a pause button is added to the Camera app which changes to a Record button when users have actively paused their video recording. Users can also switch between camera lenses while a recording is paused if they want to adjust the zoom or focal length.