In two days, Apple will kick off its It's Glowtime event (watch it here) where it will announce the new iPhone 16 lineup. Those phones will already have iOS 18 installed, so you won't need to update when you buy them (iPhone 16 models are expected to hit stores around this time). However, if you're not getting one of the new iPhones, it's possible that the operating system on your old phone isn't supported by Apple.
Typically, each year, some older iPhone models are removed from Apple's iOS compatibility 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 important features.
We'll help you find out if your iPhone will be compatible with iOS 18 (expected to be available in about two weeks), as well as Apple Intelligence. Not sure what's coming with 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 iOS, but your phone should still work, albeit without the latest updates.
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 just yet. Unless you have an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max (the high-end 2023 models), your iPhone is not eligibleIt's a safe bet that the new iPhone 16 models will be fully compatible with Apple Intelligence, but we'll have to wait for official details at the event on September 9.
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 are 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 a few days.
