Subj : iOS 18: the five upgrades I'm really hoping for at WWDC 2024 To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Fri Jun 07 2024 19:00:06 iOS 18: the five upgrades I'm really hoping for at WWDC 2024 Date: Fri, 07 Jun 2024 17:49:03 +0000 Description: From AI to overhauled apps and new features, here's what I want from iOS 18. FULL STORY ====================================================================== Its almost time for WWDC 2024 , with the event set to kick off on June 10, and its here where were sure to get our first official look at iOS 18 . This should be worth tuning in for, as leaks suggest that iOS 18 could be a massive overhaul of Apples smartphone operating system, with major AI features added, and big changes to both the appearance of the interface and how you interact with it. This could be exactly what iOS needs to stay fresh and current and to catch up with rivals like Samsung and Google, which have already baked a lot of AI into their phones. But while this all sounds very promising, there are five specific upgrades that Id really like to see in iOS 18, and Ive listed these below. 1. An AI photo editor to rival Googles The Pixel 8a has powerful photo editing capabilities (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future) Google has packed the Pixel 8 full of all sorts of AI magic, including a whole suite of photo editing tools. These let you do things like move or remove objects in images, make things appear larger or smaller, unblur images, adjust the position or brightness of light sources, change the color of the sky, and more. These dont all work perfectly all the time, but theyre generally quite impressive, and are sure to only get better as Googles AI capabilities improve. Over on iPhone, theres nothing close to this (at least not in first-party apps), but its something that Id love to see Apple add with iOS 18. Of course, you could argue that editing images as heavily as Google now allows can make them fake, rather than in any way replicating reality. Thats a bigger discussion, but I think the ability to tweak imperfect images to bring them closer to what you intended or hoped to capture is definitely valuable. Im not optimistic that Apple will allow you to easily stray far from reality with its photo editing tools, but we may well at least see AI used to optimize the lighting and colors in images. 2. A ChatGPT-like overhaul for Siri (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future) Even before the arrival of ChatGPT , Siri felt like it had been left behind by rival services like Google Assistant, Alexa, and even Bixby, as it frequently fails to understand questions or carry out requests. And now that ChatGPT and other AI-powered chatbots have arrived, its starting to feel even more dated. So more than perhaps anything else in iOS, Siri is in desperate need of some improvements, and an AI overhaul would be an obvious one. Id like to see Siri be able to carry out complex, multi-part requests, and follow the thread of a full conversation. And there are signs that some or all of this might be coming to Siri, with various leaks pointing to an AI overhaul for Siri one that might even be powered by ChatGPT . 3. Spam call alerts The iPhone's call screen is great... unless it's an unknown number (Image credit: Apple) Spam and scam calls are a constant annoyance, and where on Android I can at least use a third-party app like Truecaller to provide live caller ID, theres no such functionality on the iPhone. Truecaller exists, but to identify unknown callers with it you have to pay for a subscription and then ask Siri to search Truecaller's database every time an unknown number appears on your phone. So with iOS 18 Id, at a minimum, like Apple to allow Truecaller and similar apps to provide live caller ID on the call screen, so I can easily identify, ignore, and block spam calls. But better yet Id love to see Apple build a similar system into iOS. With the sheer number of people who use iPhones, its database could dwarf those of third-party apps, making spam and scam calls far less of an annoyance. Sadly, theres no indication that this is something Apple is working on, so I dont expect to see this in iOS 18, but I live in hope. 4. A fully customizable Control Center (Image credit: Apple) Right now, Apple only allows very limited customization of Control Center, with about half of it being unchangeable, but Id love to see it become fully customizable with iOS 18. That way you could choose exactly which shortcuts and controls you want access to, and which you dont. And it wouldnt waste space on things that you never use. Theres a chance this will happen, as one recent leak suggests that Apple is testing a redesigned Control Center that will be easier to customize, but it doesnt specify whether youll be able to customize everything in it. 5. An overhaul of the Camera app The iPhone's camera interface could use some work (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd) For all the talk of iOS being intuitive, Id argue that isnt always the case, with the Camera app being a prime example. Its settings are split between the app itself and the phones main Settings menu, certain modes and features like burst mode and long exposures are somewhat hidden, and many options require a swipe to display which is convenient once you know to do that, but wont be obvious to everyone. So Id like to see Apple work on the Camera app to make its various features more obvious and less hidden. Will this happen? Well, some reports say iOS 18 will have a visual overhaul, so changes to the Camera app are very possible, but it remains to be seen whether these changes will address my issues with it. You might also like 5 of the best features tipped for iOS 18 How to watch WWDC 2024 iPhone 16 : release date speculation, latest leaks, price predictions and more ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/ios/ios-18-the-five-upgrades-im-really-hoping -for-at-wwdc-2024 --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .