After the announcement at the WWDC back in June, Apple has started rolling out iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, tvOS 18 and macOS Sequoia for its devices globally.
iOS 18
iOS 18 brings deeper customisation to the Home Screen and Control Center; the biggest-ever redesign to Photos, and major enhancements to Messages and Mail. Messages app now supports RCS for richer media and more reliable group messaging compared to SMS and MMS.
The Phone app helps users stay organised with the ability to record and transcribe live calls. Passwords is a new app built on the foundation of Keychain that makes it even easier for users to access their passwords and see all their credentials — like passwords, passcodes, and verification codes — all in one place.
iPadOS 18
iPadOS 18 brings incredible new features designed for the unique capabilities of iPad, making it even easier for users to get tasks done. With iPadOS 18, Calculator comes to iPad with Math Notes, along with new Smart Script handwriting tools in Notes — all designed for Apple Pencil.
Additionally, iPad users now have more ways to customise the Home Screen and Control Center, and users receive the biggest redesign of the Photos app ever, new ways to express themselves in Messages, and so much more.
watchOS 11
watchOS 11 brings powerful health and fitness insights, along with even more personalisation, intelligence, and ways to stay connected, to the world’s most popular watch.
Apple Watch now offers a feature to help identify signs of sleep apnea, and the new Vitals app allows users to quickly check in on key health metrics at a glance and gain better context on their health.
The ability to measure training load helps users make more informed decisions when working out for improved fitness and performance, and Activity rings are even more customisable. Apple Watch and the Health app on iPhone and iPad also provide additional support for users who are pregnant.
The Smart Stack and Photos face use intelligence to offer a more individualised experience, and Check In, the Translate app, and new capabilities for the double tap gesture come to Apple Watch for more convenience and ways to stay connected.
tvOS 18
tvOS 18 introduces intelligent features like InSight, which displays timely information about actors, characters, and music from every live-action Apple TV+ movie and show onscreen in real time.
Enhance Dialogue also gets smarter with tvOS 18, leveraging machine learning and computational audio to deliver greater vocal clarity. Subtitles now automatically appear at just the right moments, including when users mute, when they skip back while watching, or when the language in a show or movie does not match the device language. Additionally, tvOS 18 brings stunning new screen savers, like Portraits, to Apple TV 4K.
macOS Sequoia
macOS Sequoia brings exciting new features, including iPhone Mirroring, which expands Continuity by enabling access to and control of iPhone directly from macOS; big updates to Safari; a new Passwords app; and more.
visionOS 2
visionOS 2 for Apple Vision Pro brings new spatial computing experiences to Apple Vision Pro users around the world. Existing photos can now be turned into spatial photos with remarkable depth and dimension, intuitive new hand gestures make navigating Vision Pro even faster and easier, and powerful enhancements to key visionOS apps and experiences take spatial computing to the next level.
Compatible devices
iOS 18 is available as a free update for iPhone Xs and later, same as the iOS 17.
iPadOS 18 is available for several iPad models, including the iPad Pro (M4), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later), iPad Air (M2), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), iPad (7th generation and later), and iPad mini (5th generation and later).
watchOS 11 is available for Apple Watch Series 6 and later, and requires iPhone XS or later running iOS 18.
tvOS 18 is available for Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD. visionOS 2 is available for Apple Vision Pro.
macOS Sequoia is compatible with iMac 2019 and later, iMac Pro 2017 and later, Mac Studio 2022 and later, MacBook Air 2020 and later, Mac mini 2018 and later, MacBook Pro 2018 and later, and Mac Pro 2019 and later.
Apple Intelligence
Starting next month, iOS 18.1 will introduce Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system in beta compatible with the iPhone 16 series, iPhone 15 Pro series.
iPadOS 18.1 beta on iPad with M1 and later will get Apple Intelligence. macOS Sequoia 15.1 beta will bring the Apple Intelligence to Macs. Additional features will be rolled out in the months following the initial release.
The initial rollout is in U.S. English, with more languages and regions, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the U.K., planned for December, and additional languages like Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish to follow next year.