Apple’s It’s Glowtime event just wrapped up (check out Everything Apple Revealed at the iPhone 16 Launch Event for full details), where it showed off the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, as well as the new Apple Watch Series 10 and AirPods 4 devices. The phones will already have iOS 18 installed, so you won’t need to update when you buy them. Everyone else with an older iPhone will be able to try out iOS 18 when it becomes available as a free download for most newer Apple phones on September 16. But not every iPhone will be able to run iOS 18, and even those that can won’t have all the functionality of Apple’s new Intelligence features.
That update tiering is nothing now. Typically, each year, some older iPhone models are removed from Apple’s iOS eligibility list. Last year, for example, the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone x were left off the compatibility list. That meant iPhone owners couldn’t update to iOS 17 and missed out on some notable features.
We'll help you find out if your iPhone will be compatible with iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence. Not sure what's in the new update? Here's a rundown of the biggest announcements from WWDC, including an overview of iOS 18.
iPhones compatible with iOS 18
We have good news: If you had an eligible phone last year when you updated to iOS 17, that device should still be compatible with iOS 18. According to AppleThis means you won't have to buy a new phone to try out most of the new software features.
In other words, if you have an iPhone from the Model year 2017 or earlier (iPhone 8 or iPhone x), you can't update to the latest version of iOS, but your phone should still work, albeit without the latest and greatest features.
Is your iPhone compatible with Apple Intelligence?
While your older device will still be able to support the latest version of iOS, you likely won't be able to try out the Apple Intelligence beta next month. Unless you have an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max (the high-end 2023 models) or one of the new iPhone 16 models, your iPhone is not eligible.
When will Apple Intelligence features be available?
If your device supports Apple Intelligence, you'll be able to start playing with some of these features in October, when they start rolling out to newer iPhones in later updates.
Apple Intelligence will be available in English in the US in October of this year. In December, it will be available in localized English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK. Support for additional languages, including Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish, will be available sometime next year. Apple says.
As previously reported, Apple Intelligence will not be coming to EU countries in the near future. The US tech giant remains locked in a battle with European regulators over the details of the implementation of the EU Digital Markets Act.
What's new in iOS 18?
While Apple Intelligence is by far the biggest update Comes with iOS 18Its features will be rolled out in a more piecemeal fashion over the next few months. And the most advanced features won’t be available on older iPhone models, save for the iPhone 15 Pro series. But the rest of iOS 18’s features will be coming to the phones listed above. These are just a few of the highlights you can expect when you download Apple’s new software later this month.
Password Enforcement: Securely store all your credentials in one place, including passwords and security alerts that you can access directly from the app. (While this feature currently exists in Settings, moving it to a new app should make it easier to find and access.)
Improved Messages app: A new iMessages experience offers the option to bold, italicize, underline and strikethrough text. You'll also be able to add animations to your text messages. The update also brings RCS to iPhones for better compatibility with Android.
An organized photo library: The Photos app is getting a redesign that will let you create and pin your own collections in the app, such as “wedding photos” or “trip to Aruba.” The current tabbed bottom section is being removed in favor of a grid layout. The updated carousel view that was touted at WWDC has been removed during the beta process.
Custom Home Screen Layout: You'll finally have the option to rearrange your apps: for example, you can leave the central space free to display your home screen photo and instead have your apps only on the edge of the screen. You can also change the appearance of apps by tinting them with any color, as well as making them larger.
There are plenty of other tweaks and improvements to key apps like Maps, Calendar, Safari, and more. Check out Cherlynn Low's picks for the best hidden features in iOS 18 and Apple's operating system updates, based on beta versions released earlier this year.
Is there a beta version of iOS 18?
It exists and you can download it now, provided you're willing to accept the bugs and challenges of beta software. If you haven't downloaded it yet, we suggest you wait until the real version is released in just under a week.
Update, September 9, 5:00 pm ET: Added details regarding the unavailability of Apple Intelligence in EU countries.
Update, September 9, 3:37 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with the announced release dates for iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence.
