Apple announces iOS 18

Apple has announced iOS 18. The new version of the operating system for iPhones includes the option to customize the home screen.

Apple makes it possible to arrange the home screen according to your own wishes. Until iOS 17, users are stuck with the grid of icons, but from iOS 18 icons and widgets can be placed in arbitrary places. It is also possible to adjust the color of app icons to make them look better in folders and on home screens. Larger icons are also possible. There will also be a function to hide apps.

It will also be possible to customize the buttons of Control Center elements in the interface itself. Now this has to be done in Settings. Third-party apps can also add buttons. These can also be placed on the lock screen.

When showing contacts, users can also choose to give access to some contacts. iOS will also have the option to close apps and only make them discoverable when the user authenticates again.

The Mail app will have categories, like Gmail has had for years. Photos will have the option to organize collections of photos yourself. There will also be a carousel with random photos from the library that the user has marked as favorites. The Clean Up function removes objects from the background. In addition, searching in videos will be possible.

There will also be a Memory Movie option to create a video based on a set of photos. That resembles features that BlackBerry 10 and HTC Sense had more than a decade ago and that Google Photos has also had for years. Apple does have the option to choose its own music. In the Phone app it will be possible to record and transcribe conversations.