Apple’s iOS 18 release date is September 16 but is your iPhone compatible? Here are the eligible devices and new features to expect

Apple at its iPhone occasion Monday premiered the brand new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro fashions, in addition to the brand new Apple Watch Series 10 and AirPods 4 gadgets (see everything Apple revealed at the iPhone 16 launch event). When these telephones hit the cabinets on September 20, they’re going to have already got iOS 18 put in, so updating will not be vital out of the field. Everybody else with an older iPhone will get to take a look at iOS 18 when it turns into accessible as a free obtain on September 16. However not each iPhone will be capable 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. Typically annually, some older iPhone fashions are faraway from Apple’s iOS eligibility listing. Final 12 months, for example, the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X have been left off the compatibility listing. That meant these iPhone homeowners could not replace to iOS 17 and missed out on some notable features.

We’ll enable you discover out in case your iPhone will help iOS 18, in addition to Apple Intelligence. If you would like a full listing of all the brand new iOS 18, take a look at Apple’s exhaustive list in PDF form (via MacRumors).

iPhones appropriate with iOS 18

We now have excellent news: When you had an eligible cellphone final 12 months while you up to date to iOS 17, that gadget ought to nonetheless be appropriate with iOS 18, according to Apple. Which means you will not have to purchase a brand new cellphone to take a look at a lot of the new software program options.

Put one other means, when you have an iPhone from the 2017 model year or earlier (iPhone 8 or iPhone X), you may’t improve to the most recent iOS, however your cellphone ought to proceed to work — albeit with out the most recent and biggest options.

Is your iPhone appropriate with Apple Intelligence?

Whereas your older gadget will nonetheless be capable to help the most recent iOS, chances are high that you just will not get to strive the Apple Intelligence beta but subsequent month. Until you may have 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 gadget is appropriate with Apple Intelligence, you can begin enjoying with a few of these options in October, once they start to hit these newer iPhones in subsequent updates.

Apple Intelligence will likely be accessible in English within the US this October. In December, it’s going to turn into accessible in localized English to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK. Further language help, together with Chinese language, French, Japanese and Spanish, will likely be accessible someday subsequent 12 months, Apple says.

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

iOS 18 new options to count on

Whereas Apple Intelligence is by far the largest replace coming with iOS 18, its options are going to be launched extra piecemeal over the next few months. And the extra superior options will not be accessible on older iPhone fashions other than the iPhone 15 Professional collection. However the remainder of the iOS 18 options will hit the handsets listed above. Listed below are simply a few of the highlights you may count on while 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 which you can entry immediately 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 be capable to add animations to your textual content messages. The replace can 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 personal collections within the app — assume “wedding ceremony photographs” or “journey to Aruba.” It removes the present tabbed backside and leans right into a grid format. The up to date carousel view that was touted at WWDC was removed during the beta process.

Customized dwelling display format: You will lastly get the choice to rearrange your apps — for example, you may depart the center house open to show your property display picture, and as an alternative have your apps alone the border of the display. 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. Take a look at Cherlynn Low’s decisions for the best hidden features of iOS 18 and its sibling Apple working system updates, primarily based on the betas launched earlier this 12 months.

Is there an iOS 18 beta?

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

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

This is when you may count on the most recent software program updates to return in your different Apple gadgets.

• 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 gadget with iOS 18. (The hearing aid functionality is due later this 12 months, and can come after clearing FDA and different authorities regulatory companies.)

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 relating to the dearth of Apple Intelligence availability in EU international locations.

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