iOS 18 to enable enhanced home screen customisation: Report

With iOS 18 update, users can expect a more customisable home screen, along with a significant focus on AI integration within core apps and potentially Siri.

ChatGPT app on the iPhone 15 Pro (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)

iOS 18 is reportedly the biggest software update Apple has released since the original iPhone. This next version is also expected to introduce a host of AI-powered features. A recent Bloomberg report suggests that iOS 18 will include a more customisable home screen, allowing users to further personalise the look of their iPhone home screen.

Since iOS 16, Apple allows users to place widgets and app icons on the home page and one can also create app folders. However, it does not allow users to maintain space between two icons.

Also read | Apple iOS 18: Release date, new features, and supported devices

Starting with iOS 18, for the first time on an iPhone, users will be able to freely move icons across the screen and can even leave gaps between them. While iOS 18 might not introduce as many AI features as the Galaxy S24 series, it is likely to add AI to several first-party apps, including the Notes app, Gallery, Messages, and more. Siri is also speculated to receive a major overhaul, and Apple Music is also reported to gain new AI features.

Here’s what I wrote about iOS 18, visionOS 2.0 and watchOS 11 in Power On today https://t.co/yHepnBRSE7 pic.twitter.com/K7qY2iVw7I

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) March 24, 2024

Another report by Bloomberg suggests that Apple is in talks with Google to integrate Gemini AI into iPhones to power upcoming features. Google is one of the first companies to have a mini generative AI model (Gemini nano) that can run natively on a smartphone.

With the ongoing antitrust suit by the Department of Justice (DoJ), Apple might also enable features like app sideloading, third-party payment gateways, and improved iMessage integration for better cross-compatibility. Apple will introduce iOS 18 at the upcoming WWDC 2024 developer conference, highlighting several upcoming iPhone features.