It's almost time for WWDC 2024, the event will begin on June 10, and it is here that we will surely see our first official look at iOS 18.
It should be worth tuning in, as leaks suggest iOS 18 could be a massive overhaul of Apple's smartphone operating system, with major AI features added and big changes to both the look and feel of the interface. to interact with her.
This could be exactly what iOS needs to stay fresh and current, and to catch up with rivals like Samsung and Google, which have already built a lot of AI into their phones.
But while this all sounds very promising, there are five specific updates I'd really like to see in iOS 18, and I've listed them below.
1. An AI photo editor that rivals Google's
Google has packed the Pixel 8 with all kinds of AI magic, including a full suite of photo editing tools. These allow you to do things like move or delete objects in images, make things appear larger or smaller, blur images, adjust the position or brightness of light sources, change the color of the sky, and more.
They don't all work perfectly all the time, but overall they're pretty impressive and are sure to get better as Google's AI capabilities improve.
On the iPhone, there's nothing like this (at least not in the first-party apps), but it's something I'd love to see Apple add with iOS 18.
Of course, one could argue that editing images as intensively as Google now allows can make them fake, rather than somehow replicating reality. That's a larger discussion, but I think the ability to modify imperfect images to get them closer to what you intended or hoped to capture is definitely valuable.
I'm not optimistic that Apple will let you easily stray from reality with its photo editing tools, but we may at least see the use of AI to optimize the lighting and colors of images.
2. A ChatGPT-like overhaul for Siri
Even before the arrival of ChatGPT, Siri felt like it had been left behind by rival services like Google Assistant, Alexa, and even Bixby, often failing to understand questions or make requests. And now that ChatGPT and other AI-powered chatbots have arrived, it's starting to look even more dated.
So more than anything else on iOS, Siri desperately needs some improvements, and an AI overhaul would be a no-brainer.
I wish Siri could make complex multi-part requests and follow the thread of an entire conversation.
And there are signs that some or all of this could come to Siri, with several leaks pointing to an AI overhaul for Siri, one that could even work with ChatGPT.
3. Spam Call Alerts
Spam and scam calls are a constant annoyance, and while on Android I can at least use a third-party app like Truecaller to provide live caller ID, there is no such functionality on the iPhone.
Truecaller exists, but to identify unknown callers you have to pay a subscription and then ask Siri to search Truecaller's database every time an unknown number appears on your phone.
So with iOS 18, I'd like, at a minimum, for Apple to allow Truecaller and similar apps to provide live caller ID on the call screen, so you can easily identify, ignore, and block unwanted calls. But better yet, I'd love to see Apple build a similar system on iOS.
With the large number of people using iPhones, its database could dwarf those of third-party apps, making spam and scam calls much less annoying. Unfortunately, there's no indication that this is something Apple is working on, so I don't expect to see this in iOS 18, but I live in hope.
4. A fully customizable Control Center
Right now, Apple only allows very limited customization of Control Center, and about half of it can't be changed, but I'd love to see it become fully customizable with iOS 18.
That way, you can choose exactly which shortcuts and controls you want to access and which ones you don't. And I wouldn't waste space on things you never use.
There's a chance this could happen, as a recent leak suggests Apple is testing a redesigned Control Center that will be easier to customize, but doesn't specify whether you'll be able to customize everything in it.
5. A review of the Camera app
For all the talk about iOS being intuitive, I'd argue that's not always the case, with the Camera app being a prime example.
Its settings are split between the app itself and the phone's main settings menu, certain modes and features like burst mode and long exposures are somewhat hidden, and many options require a swipe to display, which is convenient once that you know how to do it, but no. It won't be obvious to everyone.
So I'd like to see Apple work on the Camera app to make its various features more obvious and less hidden.
Will this happen? Well, some reports say that iOS 18 will have a visual overhaul, so making changes to the Camera app is very possible, but it remains to be seen if these changes will fix my issues with it.
