iOS 18 release is around the corner; here's a roundup of expected features

Apple will release the iOS 18, with a slew of other AI features during its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) to be held from 10th-14th June 2024 at its base in California, with the expected keynote address by CEO, Tim Cook. The Conference will see much awaited updates on "Apple platforms, technologies, and tools."

This comes in the wake of the other Big Tech companies like Microsoft, OpenAI, Google as well as Samsung unveiling their AI advancements over the last few weeks.

Apple's new iOS is powered by its own 'Project Greymatter', which is a set of AI tools that are expected to be integrated into core apps like Safari, Photos and Notes for devices. It also comes along with operating system features such as enhanced notifications.

Here's a quick round up:

While the actual release is heavily anticipated, here are some enhancements that are expected in the iOS 18.

Processing and On-device handling: 

Where less intensive AI features are used, work will be done on the device itself, thereby ensuring better safety. Where there is more processing power needed, the content moves to the cloud.

New and updated AI enabled features: 

The new iOS will have the capability to "transcribe voice memos, retouch photos with AI, and make searches faster and more reliable in the Spotlight feature."

Upgraded Siri: 

The digital assistant is likely to see an upgrade with Apple using its own large language models (LLM) for generative AI to create more natural sounding interactions. This will also see an upgrade for the Apple watch.

AI Emojis: 

"The company is developing software that can create custom emojis on the fly, based on what users are texting. That means you'll suddenly have an all-new emoji for any occasion, beyond the catalog of options that Apple currently offers on the iPhone and other devices." Mark Gurman from the 'Power On' newsletter said.

Safari: 

The search is expected to see improvements with reply related prompts for email and text messages. 

Smart recaps: 

Users will have "summaries of their missed notifications and individual text messages, as well as of web pages, news articles, documents, notes and other forms of media."

Revamped iPhone home screen: 

While not related to AI, a new feature allows users to change the colour of app icons and to place them wherever they want on the home screen.

Any surprises or just keeping pace?

For now, the iOS 18 release largely appears to include upgrades to existing technology and new features that keep pace with the competition. All eyes will be on the WWDC 2024 to set the speculation on Apple's iOS 18 to rest. Whether the announcements will reveal any surprises is a guess.

An interesting point here is that Apple does not have its own chatbot that can be integrated into the new iOS. After discussions with Google and OpenAI, Apple decided to partner with the latter. It is expected that OpenAI's- ChatGPT will be integrated as the chatbot feature on iOS 18 that will be announced at the WWDC.