Summary

• iOS 18 rumors suggest that Apple will focus on AI-powered additions across the system and built-in apps, potentially improving Siri's capabilities.
• We hope Spotlight Search on iOS 18 sees improvements with more relevant suggestions based on users' habits and a better understanding of their digital life.
• We'd like the Photos app on iOS 18 to offer advanced editing features like cloning and auto-enhancements, as well as adaptive filters and automatic fixes for imperfections in photos.

iOS 18, watchOS 11, and macOS 15 are still months away from debuting as beta releases. Despite that, rumors revolving around some of these versions have already started surfacing. Notably, it appears that iOS 18 will focus heavily on AI-powered additions across the system and built-in apps. While the specific details about these upcoming offerings are still scarce, we do have in mind five ways Apple could rely on AI to supercharge the iPhone.

1 A new Siri, minus the reputation

It's time for a dedicated app and supercharged smarts

It goes without saying that Siri is in desperate need of an AI boost. Right now, the company's virtual assistant is barely capable of maintaining basic context, let alone providing meaningful answers without directing users to web results. With iOS 18, we hope that Apple dedicates an app for Siri, where users can have longer conversations with it. The voice-based approach would still exist, but an app could act as a more suitable space to text Siri.

While you can already text Siri if you tweak some settings, its execution is unintuitive to use, and any accidental tap or swipe could dismiss it. A Siri application could also support chat history, where users would be able to look back at some of the helpful information it has output.

Whenever I use the ChatGPT app, I just wish Siri could converse with me as naturally. The OpenAI assistant tends to comprehend even when I submit vague input with typos. Meanwhile, I have to overthink and pick my words very carefully when interacting with Siri, and it often comes up with no useful results beyond the basic music playback controls. I'd even be willing to pay for a Siri+ subscription if it could mimic GPT-4's smarts.

2 Smarter Spotlight Search suggestions

The current version is too limited and predictable

One of the underrated iPhone features is Spotlight Search. For those unfamiliar, this universal search field indexes all sorts of different local information, including photos, documents, messages, and more. That's not to mention that it also integrates web results, making it one of the best tools to find something, online or off.

Before you type, though, Spotlight Search surfaces shortcuts for actions you may be interested in executing. These suggestions are based on your time, location, habits, and other factors. After you use your iPhone for a while, iOS learns from your workflows and suggests relevant actions accordingly. However, it feels like its training is too limited. So, for example, I'd listen to a certain playlist a single time at some late night hour, and Spotlight Search would start suggesting it every night.

Based on my experience using this feature for years, it has become apparent that these suggestions don't take enough factors into consideration to provide more relevant results. With iOS 18, we hope Apple rebuilds the foundation of these suggestions, which also surface on the Lock Screen, so they can learn more about users' habits and be more aware of what's going on in someone's digital life.

3 Advanced editing in the Photos app

Cloning, auto-enhancements, and filters

One of the aspects I admire about new Google Pixel phones is how they make photo editing an effortless task. The built-in Photos app on the latest iPhones still offers pretty much the same set of editing features we've had for years. Even the basic cloning tool that is available on macOS by default is still not offered on iOS. Users can certainly rely on third-party apps, such as Google's Snapseed, to replicate this feature on mobile. However, having it natively would be a welcome change on iOS 18.

Other AI-powered features we want to see in photos include adaptive filters that generate on the spot based on the specific subject or environment captured. While there is currently an auto-fixing tool that adjusts the lighting, its edits are too basic. Meanwhile, the available filters in the Photos app have been the same for maybe a decade. It would also be handy if AI could automatically fix a person's blink in group shots and other similar imperfections that tend to ruin a photo.

4 Creative twists in Apple Music

Introducing your own personal DJ

I've been using Apple Music almost nonstop since its debut. At this point, I can safely say that the algorithm has improved on this subscription service, and the new music discovery station certainly surfaces hidden gems that match my taste. With iOS 18, we hope Apple utilizes AI to make the Music app even more powerful and fun to use.

This could be through an AI DJ feature, where the system mashes up different tracks and offers a comprehensive set based on the mood or genre you choose. Spotify has already debuted its own version of an AI DJ, and considering their heated rivalry, Apple Music should clone this feature and offer a superior version of it with an innovative twist.

5 A more productive iWork suite

Improved corrections, suggestions, and more

Lastly, with Google beefing up its suite of productivity apps with AI goods, it's time for Apple's iWork to follow. Right now, these apps can detect basic typos and language errors, but that's no longer sufficient in our era. On iOS 18, we hope Pages, Numbers, and Keynote get AI superpowers, including a more advanced error detector, longer suggestions and auto-completion, in addition to tone monitoring and editing.

With tone monitoring, the system would be able to tell you whether you sound positive, angry, passive-aggressive, etc., when typing a document. This could help those writing formal letters maintain their professionalism and make relevant edits based on the AI's suggestions. This same set of features could also make sense in apps like Mail and Notes.

iOS 18 could pack major upgrades for AI on iPhone

Recent rumors suggest that some AI features in iOS 18 may be exclusive to the iPhone 16 series. This indicates that these upcoming digital smarts may be significant enough to require the latest and greatest mobile processing power from Apple. Had they been smaller, under-the-hood tweaks that enhance the overall experience, the company probably wouldn't make them an iPhone 16 exclusive.

Either way, this is all based on rumors, so it could turn out to be inaccurate. Regardless, we hope that iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 introduce the five AI features we've suggested, and more. Though, considering that the first official preview will likely be in June, we'll have to remain patient and enjoy iOS 17 for months to come.