MacRumors

With the first beta of iOS 18 now in the hands of developers, there are a handful of smaller changes and quality-of-life improvements being discovered in Apple's iPhone software that are worth highlighting.

First up, Apple has improved the flashlight controls. In iOS 18, turning on the Flashlight via the Lock Screen or Control Center now brings up a small interface that lets you adjust the flood of light from the LED. In other words, you now have granular control over not only the intensity of light, but also the breadth of illumination.

In the new Passwords app, you can generate QR codes for saved Wi-Fi passwords, allowing them to be shared more easily with others.

In the Settings app, usually you scroll down to get to settings for individual apps installed on your iPhone. In the iOS 18 beta, Apple has moved settings for apps to a separate screen, so now you tap "Apps" at the bottom of the menu to access a separate searchable list.

In the redesigned Control Center, which now extends to multiple screens, tapping a new + icon in the top-left corner (or long-pressing on an empty area) reveals minus icons that let you remove individual buttons, similar to how you remove apps from the Home Screen, and there's a new Add a Control option at the bottom. There are also anchors that let you resize buttons or cards like the media player. So if you've always wanted to make the Shazam icon a 4x4 button, for example, now you can.

Apple in iOS 18 has also added a new Power button to the top-right corner of the Control Center, so you don't have to physically hold the Side button to bring up the "Slide to power off" screen.

In the Weather app, you can show forecasts for separate Home and Work locations. The new Home and Work labels can be toggled in Settings ➝ Apps ➝ Weather, under a new "Locations" section. Home and work locations can be updated by editing your Contacts card.

The first developer beta of iOS 18 is now available, with a public beta following in July. Apple will officially release the new iPhone operating system to the public in the fall.

In addition to text effects and scheduled messages, iOS 18 adds a small but helpful change to iMessage: link card previews for more types of content.

When you paste a link for a social media post into the text field in the Messages app, the associated link card now appears before you send the message, whereas it previously only became visible after the message was sent.

It was already possible to see a link card preview before sending a message in some situations on iOS 17 and earlier, such as when sharing a website link directly from the Safari app or other browsers. The expansion of link card previews to more types of content, and to links pasted directly in the Messages app, is a nice improvement.

The first developer beta of iOS 18 is available now, and a public beta will follow in July. The update should be widely released in September.

As part of its Apple Intelligence feature set, Apple on Monday announced a partnership with OpenAI that will allow Siri to access ChatGPT directly in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia to provide better responses in relevant situations.

In conversation with reporters after the WWDC keynote, Apple's senior VP of software engineering Craig Federighi revealed that as Apple Intelligence evolves, the company eventually wants to give its users a choice between different AI models, and suggested that Google Gemini could be an option in the future.

"We think ultimately people are going to have a preference for certain models they want to use, maybe one that's great for creative writing or one that they prefer for coding," said Federighi. "Maybe Google Gemini in the future. I mean, nothing to announce right now, but that's our direction."

Federighi said that Apple's decision to start with ChatGPT was because the company wanted to "start with the best." ‌Siri‌ will leverage GPT-4o for free, with no need to create an account. Requests are not logged and IP addresses are obscured, while ChatGPT subscribers will also be able to access paid features within the experiences.

Apple Intelligence features are not included in the first beta of iOS 18, and instead will become available for testing over the U.S. summer. iOS 18 is expected to be publicly released in September.

During its WWDC 2024 keynote on Monday, Apple introduced a new Calculator app for iPad that includes a new Math Notes feature, and there are similar changes to be found in the Calculator app in iOS 18.

The Calculator app on iPhone now has an additional button to switch between Basic, Scientific, and Math Notes in portrait or landscape view. Meanwhile, there's a useful new History feature that helps you keep track of previous calculations.

In addition, a new Convert option supports unit conversions for length, weight, currencies, and more. Here's the full conversions that are supported:

• Angle
• Area
• Currency
• Data
• Energy
• Force
• Fuel
• Length
• Power
• Pressure
• Speed
• Temperature
• Time
• Volume
• Weight

In iPadOS 18, the new Calculator app lets users type or write out mathematical expressions with an Apple Pencil and see them solved in their own handwriting. These Math Notes are automatically accessible in the Notes app in a new Math Notes folder that can be accessed on both iPhone and iPad.

The first developer beta of iPadOS 18 is now available, with a public beta following in July, and official release to the public in the fall.

Among the slew of iOS 18 updates announced during Apple's WWDC 2024 keynote, the company revealed a new way of paying for things with Apple Cash, called Tap to Cash.

As the name suggests, Tap to Cash lets users pay for things simply by tapping two iPhones together. The feature is reminiscent of NameDrop, where users can exchange contacts by tapping their devices together.

Tap to Cash is an extension of Apple's Tap to Pay feature, and uses the same NFC functionality. Apple says that Tap to Cash allows users to transfer money without sharing any personal information, ensuring privacy is maintained.

Apple also announced a few updates coming to Apple Wallet with iOS 18, including support for displaying information about rewards cards, such as points and redeemable gifts. Tickets for events will also gain better integration with the Wallet app, allowing users to see concert seat numbers, shortcuts for directions, and other information about events.

As part of its Home Screen customization overhaul, iOS 18 lets iPhone users hide the labels on app icons for a cleaner look.

Turning off the labels causes the icons to expand and take up the space where the text usually appears underneath. Here's how it currently works in the iOS 18 Developer Beta.

1. On the Home Screen, press and hold on an empty area.
2. Tap Edit in the top-left corner.
3. Tap Customize.
4. In the customization menu that appears, tap the Large button.
5. Tap anywhere on the Home Screen to save your preference.

As things stand, it's not possible to hide labels and keep app icons small, but this could change in succeeding beta versions.

In addition to hiding app labels, other new Home Screen customization options in iOS 18 include the ability to place app icons anywhere, and a dark tint option for app icons.

Read our iOS 18 announcement coverage for more details about the update, which is now available in beta for members of the Apple Developer Program.

Apple crammed an overwhelming number of new features into its WWDC 2024 keynote event, introducing Apple Intelligence, iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, visionOS 2, watchOS 11, and tvOS 18. It was hard to keep up with everything that Apple highlighted, so we did a video of all of the new additions you won't want to miss.

We've also got a full recap of all of today's WWDC keynote coverage for a more in-depth look at each announcement.

Apple Intelligence

• 'Apple Intelligence' Personal AI Unveiled for iPhone, iPad, and Mac
• Apple Unveils 'Image Playground' On-Device AI Image Generator
• Siri Can Access ChatGPT Directly With iOS 18
• Apple Intelligence Features Coming to iOS 18 Beta Testers This Summer
• iOS 18 Apple Intelligence Feature Will Have Waitlist During Initial 'Limited Preview'

iOS 18 and iPadOS 18

• Apple Announces iOS 18 With New Customization Features, Redesigned Photos App, and More
• Apple Unveils iPadOS 18 With New Calculator App, Tab Bar, and More
• iOS 18 Home Screen: Place Apps Anywhere and Dark Mode for Icons
• iOS 18: New Control Center Features Multiple Customizable Screens
• Apple Reveals New Head Gestures Coming to AirPods Pro Later This Year
• Apple Unveils Calculator App for iPad With Math Notes, Apple Pencil Support
• iMessage on iOS 18 Features Bold, Underline, Italics, and Text Effects
• iOS 18's New 'Genmoji' Feature Lets You Create Your Own Emoji
• Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Beta Firmware With Support for iOS 18 Features
• Apple Introduces Standalone 'Passwords' App
• RCS Coming to Messages in iOS 18 for Improved Texts With Android Users
• You Can Send Texts via Satellite in iOS 18
• iOS 18 Lets You Swap Out Lock Screen Camera and Flashlight Buttons
• iOS 18 Introduces More Charging Limit Options on iPhone 15 Models: 85%, 90%, and 95%
• iOS 18 Brings New Insights, Widgets, and Health Integration to Apple's Journal App
• iOS 18 Can Record and Transcribe Your Phone Calls
• iOS 18 Lets You Lock and Hide Your Apps for Added Privacy
• HomeKit in iOS 18 Includes Guest Access, Hands-Free Unlock, Electricity Usage Integration and More

macOS Sequoia

• Apple Unveils macOS 15 Sequoia With iPhone Mirroring, Passwords App, More
• macOS Sequoia and iPadOS 18 Drop Support for These Macs and iPads
• iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia Add 'Rotate Wi-Fi Address' Option to Cut Down on Tracking
• iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia Let Websites and Apps Automatically Update Existing Logins to Passkeys

watchOS 11

• Apple Previews watchOS 11 With New Health and Workout Features
• watchOS 11 Drops Support for These Apple Watch Models

tvOS 18

• tvOS 18 Adds 'InSight' to Identify Actors and Songs in Apple TV+ Shows, Plus 'Enhanced Dialogue' Feature and More
• tvOS 18 Compatible With Apple TV HD Released Nearly Nine Years Ago

visionOS 2

• Apple Announces visionOS 2 With Ultra-Wide Mac Virtual Display, Travel Mode on Trains, and More
• Apple Launching Vision Pro in These 8 Countries by Mid-July

Other Announcements

• WWDC 2024 Apple Event Live Keynote Coverage: iOS 18, Apple's AI Push, and More
• iOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and More Available in Public Beta in July
• Apple Recaps 18 Key Announcements From WWDC 2024 Keynote in Short Video
• Apple Releases First Betas of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, tvOS 18, watchOS 11, and visionOS 2
• Elon Musk Threatens to Ban Apple Devices Over ChatGPT Integration
• Apple and Canon Announce Mirrorless Camera Lens Designed for Spatial Video Capture
• Apple Provides Updated Look at Next-Generation CarPlay at WWDC 2024

‌iOS 18‌, ‌macOS Sequoia‌, and Apple's other updates are available to developers right now, with Apple planning to introduce a public beta in July. For more on what's new, stay tuned to MacRumors for additional coverage throughout the week as WWDC continues.

With the new Passwords app in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, there's a feature that is designed to allow websites and apps to upgrade existing accounts to passkeys automatically.

Enabled by default, the feature will speed up the adoption of passkeys, which are more secure than a traditional login and password. Passkeys log you in with Face ID or Touch ID rather than a password, and because on-device authentication is required, passkeys put a stop to online attacks like phishing. There's no password to steal or authentication code that can be intercepted.

Several popular websites and services have implemented Passkey support since Apple started using passkeys in 2022, including Twitter, Google, WhatsApp, TikTok, PayPal, Best Buy, Microsoft, PlayStation, and eBay.

Passkeys are supported in the new Passwords app that's available in ‌iOS 18‌, ‌iPadOS 18‌, ‌macOS Sequoia‌, and Windows PCs through iCloud for Windows.

Apple today shared a few WWDC 2024 coding sessions related to its upcoming next-generation CarPlay system ahead of its launch later this year.

The sessions include lots of updated next-generation CarPlay images, with one revealing new Vehicle, Media, and Climate apps in action for the first time. MacRumors previously discovered evidence of these apps in the iOS 17.4 beta.

Next-generation CarPlay will be highly customizable, allowing automakers to tailor the design of the system to uniquely match their vehicles. Apple revealed a variety of different design options and layouts that will be possible, as shown below.

Other images provide a closer look at the Vehicle and Climate apps, which will house vehicle settings and climate controls, respectively.

Next-generation CarPlay will allow automakers to show custom alerts related to an electric vehicle's charging status, an available software update for the vehicle, and more. In addition, it will feature rear-camera integration, as shown below.

Apple's website continues to say that the first vehicles with next-generation CarPlay will arrive in 2024, but it has yet to provide a more specific timeframe, and it did not provide any timing-related updates in the WWDC coding sessions. Aston Martin and Porsche previewed next-generation CarPlay vehicle designs late last year.

For more details about next-generation CarPlay, read our previous coverage.

The Apple Intelligence features that will be introduced later during the iOS 18 beta testing process will have a waitlist at first, according to code in ‌iOS 18‌ found by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris.

In ‌iOS 18‌, Apple Intelligence is codenamed Graymatter. There are references to a waitlist, with specific strings that say "Join the Graymatter Waiting List" and "Joined Waitlist." There is also wording that refers to it as a "limited preview."

"While Graymatter is in limited preview, you may experience unusually slow responses when not in a supported region."

Apple plans to introduce Apple Intelligence during the iOS 18 beta testing period this summer, so the limited preview and waitlist may be something that Apple will use during the beta testing period.

It is possible, however, that there will be a waitlist when Apple Intelligence launches publicly in ‌iOS 18‌ given some of the issues that other AI services like ChatGPT have experienced at times due to demand. While iPhone users will need an iPhone 15 Pro or later to access Apple Intelligence, it will also be available on all iPhone 16 models, which will launch with ‌iOS 18‌ installed, increasing the number of people using the feature at launch.

International Day of Yoga is set to take place on Friday, June 21, and Apple is celebrating with an Activity Challenge that will let Apple Watch users earn a yoga badge and a set of animated yoga stickers.

Find your flow on International Day of Yoga. On June 21, do a yoga workout of 10 minutes or more and you’ll earn this award. Record it with the Workout app or any app that adds workouts to Health.

To earn the in-app award on June 21, Apple Watch owners must record a yoga workout of 10 minutes or more.

Apple holds Activity Challenges for various holidays and events throughout the year, and began offering awards for International Day of Yoga back in 2019.

Any yoga workout will fulfill the requirement, as long as you select the yoga workout type from the Workout app on the Apple Watch or use an app that adds yoga workouts to the Health app.

HomeKit and the Home app weren't focused on much during Apple's WWDC keynote, but there are several new features that are coming in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia.

With Customize Access, you can manage how and when people can access your ‌HomeKit‌ devices like garage openers, alarm systems, and door locks. You can create guest schedules and specific accessories that your guests can use, limiting times that your home is accessible. A home hub is required for this feature.

You can enable Express Mode for unlocking door locks automatically as you approach with an iPhone or an Apple Watch, so you don't need to tap your device to the lock to get it to open. You'll need an ‌iPhone‌ or Apple Watch with an Ultra Wideband chip for this to work, along with an Ultra Wideband lock.

Later this year, Apple plans to add support for robot vacuum cleaners. The Home app will support the core functionality of robot vacuums, like power control, cleaning mode, vacuum, mop, and charge status. The vacuums can also be used in automations and scenes, and respond to Siri requests.

Apple is adding electricity usage integration into the Home app, but it's only available to select Pacific Gas and Electric Company customers in the United States to begin. With this feature, users can see their home electricity usage from the Home app, along with rate plan.

Electricity usage integration is coming later in 2024, and Apple also plans to add other providers in the future.

Apple and Canon today announced the development of a new mirrorless camera lens designed to capture spatial video for the Vision Pro headset.

Canon's RF-S7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens is specifically intended to capture spatial video content, tailored for use with Apple's Vision Pro headset. The new lens is designed for the Canon EOS R7 camera and features dual optics, mimicking the human field of view.

The RF-S7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens features a high-speed autofocus mechanism, ensuring that even in challenging lighting conditions, videographers can capture clear spatial video. After recording, the footage can be processed using Canon's EOS VR Utility app, which transforms the video into spatial content optimized for the Vision Pro.

The announcement marks a significant step in the effort to create more content for the Vision Pro. The RF-S7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens is set to be available later this fall, with pricing details yet to be announced.

Elon Musk has threatened to ban Apple devices from his companies over Apple’s newly announced ChatGPT integration.

Apple Intelligence in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia allows Siri to utilize ChatGPT to handle complex queries, but only when explicit user permission is provided. The feature is designed to provide users with richer, more contextual responses without requiring them to open the ChatGPT app.

During Apple's keynote event, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, emphasized that users will have full control over when ChatGPT is used and that data shared with OpenAI would not be logged or stored. "You are in control over when ChatGPT is used and will be asked before any of your information is shared," Federighi said.

Despite these assurances, Musk expressed strong opposition to the integration on his social media platform, X (formerly Twitter). Musk said, "If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, then Apple devices will be banned at my companies. That is an unacceptable security violation." He continued, "Visitors will have to check their Apple devices at the door, where they will be stored in a Faraday cage." He also repeatedly questioned Apple's ability to ensure data security, stating, "Apple has no clue what's actually going on once they hand your data over to OpenAI. They're selling you down the river."

Apple and OpenAI have both emphasized that user data will only be shared with explicit consent and that these interactions are designed to be secure. OpenAI noted in a new blog post that "requests are not stored by OpenAI, and users' IP addresses are obscured." Users can also choose to connect their ChatGPT accounts to access paid features, but this is an opt-in feature.

Apple has been clear in its messaging that the new AI capabilities are designed with user privacy at the core. Apple's approach leverages a combination of on-device processing and cloud computing, ensuring that data is not stored in the cloud. Apple's integration of ChatGPT into its operating systems is part of a broader strategy to enhance the AI capabilities of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.

With iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, Apple has replaced the Private Wi-Fi Address option for Wi-Fi networks with a new Rotate Wi-Fi Address option that's aimed at better minimizing tracking.

Available when accessing the settings of any Wi-Fi network, Apple says the opt-in Rotate Wi-Fi Address feature changes your Wi-Fi address at random times.

A rotating Wi-Fi address helps reduce tracking by changing your Wi-Fi address at various times. Tracking can happen when your address always appears the same to other devices and people using the same network as you.

The prior Private Wi-Fi Address setting assigned a different MAC address to a device for each Wi-Fi network it connected to.

Rotate Wi-Fi Address, like Private Wi-Fi Address, is separate from the additional Limit IP Address Tracking option that can be turned on for Mail and Safari.

macOS Sequoia is still compatible with several Intel-based Macs, but it does drop support for 2018 and 2019 models of the MacBook Air.

macOS Sequoia is compatible with the following Macs, according to Apple:

• MacBook Pro: 2018 and later
• MacBook Air: 2020 and later
• Mac mini: 2018 and later
• iMac: 2019 and later
• iMac Pro: 2017
• Mac Studio: 2022 and later
• Mac Pro: 2019 and later

The upcoming "Apple Intelligence" suite of AI features will require an Apple silicon Mac with an M1 chip or newer. The new AI features can help you write faster, categorize mail, prioritize notifications, and more. A smarter version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence will also be limited to Macs with an M1 chip or newer.

iPhone Mirroring will be available on both Apple silicon Macs and Intel-based Macs with the T2 security chip, letting you control your iPhone from your Mac's screen:

A user's custom wallpaper and icons appear just like on their iPhone, and they can swipe between pages on their Home Screen, or launch and browse any of their favorite apps. The keyboard, trackpad, and mouse on Mac also let a user interact with their iPhone, and audio even comes through. Users can seamlessly drag and drop between iPhone and Mac, and a user's iPhone remains locked, so nobody else can access or see what the user is doing. It also works great with StandBy, which stays visible, so users can get information at a glance. Additionally, users can review and respond to iPhone notifications directly from their Mac.

As for iPadOS 18, the update drops support for the first-generation 10.5-inch iPad Pro, second-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and the sixth-generation low-end iPad.

iPadOS 18 is compatible with the following iPads, according to Apple:

• iPad Pro: 2018 and later
• iPad Air: 2019 and later
• iPad mini: 2019 and later
• iPad: 2019 and later

macOS Sequoia and iPadOS 18 are now available in beta for Apple Developer Program members, and the updates should be released in September.

Apple is improving privacy in iOS 18, introducing a feature that allows apps to be locked or hidden, which makes them inaccessible without a Face ID scan.

If someone is using your phone and you've locked an app, when they try to open that app, they'll see a popup that says it can't be accessed without secondary authentication. Locking an app can be done by long pressing on it and selecting the Require ‌Face ID‌ option (or Touch ID on the iPhone SE).

Not all apps can be locked, with Apple not providing an option for innocuous apps like Maps, Clock, Calculator, and Stocks, but almost every other app can be locked, including third-party apps. When you lock an app, you have the option to hide it as well, which moves it into a locked, hidden apps folder that requires authentication to open.

Locked or hidden apps are not only unable to be opened, but also hidden from search, notifications, and other places across the operating system. Enabling a lock on an app also shows the apps that have access to it, such as apps that are able to write images to the Photos app. Hiding an app means that you will not receive incoming notifications or calls from it, and it will only be available from a "Hidden" folder in the App Library.

If you want to turn off the locking feature, you can long press on an app icon and choose the "Don't Require ‌Face ID‌" option. Turning the lock on and off requires a ‌Face ID‌ scan, so it can't be turned off without your knowledge. Locking and hiding apps is also a feature that works on the iPad.

One of the interesting new features coming in iOS 18 will let you automatically record and transcribe your live phone calls through the Phone app.

After answering a call or placing a call, you can enable recording. All call participants are notified that the call is being recorded, so there are no surprises and everyone is aware of the recording from the start. As the call is recorded, the iPhone is also able to provide a transcript.

The upcoming Apple Intelligence features can generate a summary of key points that were included in the call, so you can look back at what was important at a glance.

Phone call transcription will be available in English (U.S., UK, Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore), Spanish (U.S., Mexico, Spain), French (France), German (Germany), Japanese (Japan), Mandarin Chinese (China mainland, Taiwan), Cantonese (China mainland, Hong Kong), and Portuguese (Brazil).

Other new features for the Phone app include a search interface for call history, autofill for a number when you start typing in digits, and the option to seamlessly switch SIM cards.

Apple also plans to bring the same audio and transcription features to the Notes app, so you can record audio and get a live transcript on the ‌iPhone‌ 12 and later.