Siri, Apple’s digital assistant, is set to receive major upgrades that will integrate it more deeply with the operating system and installed apps. Bloomberg reports that the new system will allow Siri to take control of all features within apps for the first time, thanks to a major change in its AI architecture. This means Siri will only require voice prompts to interact with apps, similar to the capabilities of Google Assistant on Android phones.
Apple is joining the AI revolution with iOS 18, code-named ‘Project Graymatter.’ This update brings a suite of AI-powered enhancements, primarily focused on Siri, the voice assistant. One notable feature is ‘Graymatter Catch Up,’ which provides an AI overview of recent notifications. Siri’s capabilities expand to summarizing text, transcribing audio, and answering queries on-device. Apple is also introducing AI-enhanced text summarization and transcription in first-party apps, along with ‘smart replies’ in Messages, Mail, and Siri. Photo editing in the Photos app gets an AI boost with ‘Clean Up’ for removing unwanted elements. A ‘Generative Playground’ feature allows for image creation and editing, with iMessage integration. Math Notes integrates with the GreyParrot Calculator app, offering equation recognition and solutions.
The Unicode Consortium has unveiled a selection of new emoji that may be incorporated into iOS 18 later this year or early next year. Apple will determine when to officially introduce these emoji updates across its various operating systems, including iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, and visionOS. The previewed emoji encompass various expressions and objects, such as a sleepy face, fingerprint, leafless tree, vegetable root, harp, shovel, and splatter. These examples serve as preliminary templates for Apple’s designers to refine and finalize the images. Other platforms like Google will also utilize these initial designs as a starting point for their own emoji variations.
Apple has announced a slew of upcoming accessibility features, including one that could be a game-changer for the deaf and hard of hearing. Music Haptics, the company says will help users feel and experience music on their iPhones. The feature will allow users to play along with their music and will work across “millions of songs” in the Apple Music library. It will also be made available as an API to developers who wish to integrate it into their apps.
Apple enthusiasts eagerly await the unveiling of iOS 18 at WWDC 2024 on June 10. The anticipated update is expected to bring significant AI enhancements, smarter app integrations, and new customization options. Here’s a detailed timeline of iOS 18’s anticipated release schedule:
Apple is expected to unveil iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10th. The developer beta will likely be released the same day, followed by the public beta around a month later. The official public release of iOS 18 will likely arrive shortly after the fall iPhone event.
Apple plans to introduce AI capabilities in iOS 18, focusing on on-device processing for enhanced privacy and performance. While Samsung combines on-device and cloud-based AI, Apple’s approach favors device-based AI with a Large Language Model (LLM). Expected AI features include improved auto-replies, Siri functionality, and advanced image editing tools. The status of a potential collaboration with Google for certain AI features remains unclear.
