Fast Facts
Like the rollout of Widgets on the home screen and a more personalized Lock Screen, iOS 18 might give you more control over where you place apps. Apple is expected to introduce its next version of iOS at its Worldwide Developers Conference.
Apple (AAPL) is widely expected to formally announce its artificial intelligence ambitions and first set of features at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, but it’ll also be center stage for major updates across iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, tvOS, and visionOS.
iOS 18, the successor to iOS 17, has long been expected to be a major update integrating AI functionality into existing features and rolling out brand-new ones. However, it might also significantly change your iPhone’s screen. Similar to iOS 16, which ushered in a customizable Lock Screen, Apple may be preparing to unveil even more customization for the Home Screen.
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Like Android on Google Pixels or Samsung Galaxy Phones, you may soon be able to more precisely place apps and widgets on your iPhone’s home screen — even with open spaces in between.
It’s expected to keep a row and column system, but according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and MacRumors’ Joe Rossignol, iOS 18 will introduce blank spaces. This could let you create a visible distinction between sets of apps or even widgets.
This customized iOS 17 home screen on an iPhone 15 Pro features widgets and rows of applications.
This would level up the overall customization of the iPhone’s Home Screen and bring it closer to the Lock Screen, allowing you to make it feel even more like your iPhone. We hope some of these customizations will also be transferred to the next version of iPadOS.
What else does iOS 18 have in store? Both reports also note that AI features and functionality are incoming. Bloomberg mentions that the focus won’t necessarily be on generative AI but on tools that can help manage daily events or occurrences.
This would separate it from generative AI features like photo editing and text revision tools we’ve seen on Samsung’s Galaxy S24 lineup and even the Google Pixel. However, we imagine at least some more advanced photography editing features will be in the cards this year.
Historically, Apple holds its Worldwide Developers Conference, including the opening keynote, in June, so we’d expect it to stick with that timing in 2024. Keep your eyes on TheStreet for details once Apple formally announces the event for a full rundown of what to expect.
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