Apple is introducing a new Game Mode in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. The feature minimizes background activity to deliver higher sustained performance and smoother gameplay.
Additionally, Game Mode will reduce audio latency with AirPods and game controllers for better responsiveness.
Apple is finally adding T9 dialing support to the iPhone’s Phone app with iOS 18. The feature lets you search for contacts or phone numbers directly from the dialer.
T9, or text on 9 keys, is predictive text technology that enables you to enter a character with a single keypress for each letter.
The new Apple Passwords app “makes it easy to access your credentials and have them securely stored all in one place,” said Craig Federighi, the company’s software chief, Monday during the WWDC24 keynote.
Apple is upgrading iCloud Keychain to become a full-fledged password manager in iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia.
Apple showcased iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11 and macOS Sequoia on Monday during the kickoff keynote that kicked off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. With so many new features and improvements, you might wonder if your iOS 18 will be among Apple’s supported devices. Same goes for other older devices and Apple’s other upcoming operating system updates.
Below is a list of all the iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and Macs that will get the iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11 and macOS Sequoia update later this year. Note: The AI-powered Apple Intelligence features the company unveiled at WWDC24 won’t work on many older devices. So even if your computer can run the latest operating system, you still might not benefit from the AI stuff.
iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 will introduce “new levels of customization and capability to Control Center, helping you access many of the things you do every day even faster,” said Apple software chief Craig Federighi during Monday’s WWDC24 keynote.
The revamped Control Center features multiple groups and offers easy access to media playback controls, smart home devices and more.
macOS Sequoia brings the “incredible features” of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 to your Mac. This includes improvements to the Messages app, Math Notes and more.
Craig Federighi, the Apple software VP who unveiled macOS Sequoia during Monday’s WWDC24 keynote, said the new Mac operating system “introduces even more features to help you effortlessly get things done.”
iOS 18 could add a dark tint to the iPhone’s Home Screen app icons in Dark Mode. This should give them a stealthy look and help them blend with the system’s overall dark theme.
Additionally, Apple will allow you to lock first-party apps like Mail and Messages in iOS 18 using Face ID.
You can now buy a refurbished M3 MacBook Air directly from Apple in the US. The company recently updated its Certified Refurbished store, listing the new Air.
Depending on your desired model, you can save up to $200 on the refurbished M3 MacBook Air.
★★★★☆
A multidevice charger like the ESR Qi2 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station is a must-have, especially if you own an iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods. A 3-in-1 charger removes the hassle of dealing with multiple power bricks and cables, which occupy unwanted desk space and power sockets.
ESR recently launched its Qi2 3-in-1 wireless charging station, which stands out for its Qi2 support and detachable Apple Watch charger. Its small footprint, sturdy design and welcome extras make it a solid contender for a prime spot on your nightstand.
iPhone 15 Pro and 2nd gen HomePod are not the only Apple devices to ship with a Thread router. The company has secretly shipped all its recent iPad and Mac models with the smart home radio as well.
Unlike on the iPhones though, the Thread router is not active. This could explain why Apple has not advertised its inclusion in the specs page of its new Macs and iPads.
Apple just made a major change to its standard warranty terms for the iPhone and Apple Watch. Going forward, the company will no longer cover a single hairline crack under its warranty.
Instead, users must pay for the repair or claim accidental damage under their AppleCare plan.
Apple held talks with China Mobile in 2023 to bring Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade to China. If the two parties agree, Apple will gain access to over 200 million of China Mobile’s broadband and TV customers.
It is unclear whether Apple and China Mobile are still in talks and have reached an agreement.
The iPhone 16 Pro could sport the world’s slimmest bezels on a smartphone. Its borders will apparently measure just 1.2mm, with the iPhone 16 Pro Max having even slimmer bezels at 1.15mm.
The slimmer bezels should help offset the size increase due to Apple using larger displays on its 2024 iPhones.
Apple’s 2024 iPad Air ships with a binned M2 chip featuring a 9-core GPU. The company’s original announcement claimed it packs a 10-core GPU.
The Cupertino giant silently updated the iPad Air’s tech specs page to reflect this change.
Apple could add new text effects to iMessage in iOS 18. One of the effects reportedly includes the ability to animate individual words in a message.
iMessage, Apple’s proprietary instant messaging service, already supports many message effects and animations to add some excitement to texts. The possible new text effects in iOS 18 should make things even more eye-catching and fun.
As a part of its AI upgrade, Siri in iOS 18 will reportedly enable control of individual apps through your voice. Apple has supposedly upgraded its voice assistant’s underlying architecture using LLMs to achieve this.
Additionally, Apple will process many basic AI tasks on-device in iOS 18 for faster response and a better user experience.
Apple’s recently released M2 iPad Air packs modest upgrades over its predecessor and the same processor as 2022’s M2 iPad Pro. How do the two Apple tablets with identical M2 chips compare? Find out in our M2 iPad Pro vs. M2 iPad Air comparison.
While the new midrange tablet seems tempting, an iPad Air is still an Air, not a Pro.
iPhone shipments apparently bounced back sharply in China in recent months. Apple reportedly saw a 52% increase in shipments following heavy discounts by third-party retailers.
Since the beginning of 2024, Apple has seen a double-digit decline in iPhone demand in China. A resurgent Huawei also made things difficult for Apple, as the Chinese company registered a sales growth of 69.9% in the first quarter.
Apple might use generative AI in iOS 18 to allow iPhone users to create custom emojis, letting them express themselves just the way they want. The company is already at the forefront of adding the latest Unicode emoji to iOS.
Additionally, Apple is working on an AI-powered smart recaps feature. It will provide you with a summary of your missed notifications, new messages, documents, and more.
iOS 18 reportedly will let iPhone users change app icon colors on the Home Screen. Plus, they would be able to put the icons anywhere they want.
Since iOS’ inception, app icons on iPhone’s Home Screen have snapped to a grid, much to the dismay of some users. However, Apple could finally tweak this behavior with iOS 18.
Nearly 20 months after its launch, Apple has started selling refurbished iPhone 14 through its Certified Refurbished store. For now, the refurbished units are only on sale in the US.
You can purchase any model from the iPhone 14 model from Apple’s Certified Refurbished store, including the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
★★★★☆
Plenty of power bricks with dual USB-C ports give you options for charging your Apple devices. But Ikea — yes, the company known for its DIY furniture — has a new offering that trumps them all from a value viewpoint. As you’ll find out in our review of the Ikea Sjöss 45W charger, it packs two USB-C ports and supports all popular fast charging standards.
The effective power adapter stands out for its super-low price, which significantly undercuts the competition. Below is our quick review of the Ikea Sjöss 45W USB-C charger.
Apple provided more details Thursday about a nasty iOS 17.5 bug that resurfaced old and deleted photos for some iPhone users. Since the software glitch resurfaced photos from as far back as 2010, some people theorized that iCloud Photos secretly stored their deleted images.
However, Apple shot down such theories in its explanation. (The company rolled out iOS 17.5.1 on Tuesday to patch the bug.)
Apple’s newest M4 iPad Pros pack the best display technology, the company’s latest and greatest M4 processor, and other keen advances. But exactly how do the latest tablets differ from their M2-powered predecessors? Our M4 iPad Pro vs. M2 iPad Pro comparison reveals the answers to questions you might have.
Should you upgrade to the 13-inch iPad Pro with M4 chip if you already own the M2 12.9-inch iPad Pro? And what about the 11-inch model? Find out in this head-to-head comparison that pits the M4 iPad Pro against the M2 iPad Pro.
Apple’s Education Store has received a big visual makeover. The new design is similar to Apple’s online store, which switched to the new theme in 2021.
Back then, Apple only updated its main online store, with the Education Store sticking to the old theme.