UX

iOS 18 UX Review: An In-Depth Look at Apple’s Latest Update

Jan Nikka A. Estefani

June 20, 2024

Apple’s introduction of iOS 18 has created significant excitement, and it’s easy to understand why. The latest version of the iPhone operating system brings a wide range of new features and improvements designed to enhance user experience (UX), customization, and overall UX/UI design. With a strong focus on optimizing the interface and user interactions, iOS 18 aims to provide a more intuitive and personalized experience. In this comprehensive review, we’ll explore the key updates in iOS 18, how they impact daily use, and what they mean for the future of Apple’s mobile ecosystem from a UX design perspective.

Introduction to iOS 18

iOS 18 is Apple’s newest operating system for its iPhone series, promising to deliver more customization options, enhanced privacy features, and a smoother, more intuitive user experience. The update follows the trend of iterative improvements, focusing on both user-facing features and under-the-hood enhancements.

Key Features and Updates in iOS 18

1. Enhanced Customization Options

One of the standout features of iOS 18 is the expanded customization capabilities. Apple has introduced more ways for users to personalize their devices, making it easier than ever to make your iPhone truly your own.

Widgets and Home Screen Customization: iOS 18 allows for more extensive widget customization. Users can now resize widgets, add interactive elements, and place them anywhere on the home screen. The update also introduces new widget templates that can be personalized with specific functions, such as quick access to frequently used apps or dynamic updates based on user activity.

Lock Screen Customization: The lock screen receives a major overhaul, offering users the ability to customize the appearance and functionality. You can now add widgets directly to the lock screen, choose from a variety of clock styles, and even set up multiple lock screen profiles that change based on time of day or location.

Themes and App Icons: For the first time, iOS 18 introduces themes, allowing users to change the overall look of the operating system with just a few taps. Alongside this, users can now customize app icons without the need for third-party apps, offering a more integrated and seamless customization experience.

2. Improved Privacy Features

Privacy has always been a cornerstone of Apple’s philosophy, and iOS 18 continues to build on this with new and improved privacy features.

App Privacy Reports: iOS 18 introduces App Privacy Reports, which provide detailed insights into how apps are using your data. These reports show which apps are accessing sensitive information like location, camera, microphone, and contacts, giving users greater transparency and control over their data.

Mail Privacy Protection: With Mail Privacy Protection, Apple aims to prevent senders from knowing whether an email has been opened and hiding users’ IP addresses. This feature helps protect users from targeted advertising and email tracking.

Enhanced Permissions: Apple has refined the permissions system in iOS 18, allowing users to grant temporary or one-time access to apps for sensitive data. This ensures that apps only have access to necessary information when they truly need it.

3. Advanced AI and Machine Learning

iOS 18 leverages the power of advanced AI and machine learning to provide smarter, more intuitive features.

Live Text and Visual Lookup: Live Text is a new feature that uses on-device intelligence to recognize text in photos and images, allowing users to copy, paste, and interact with text directly from their photos. Visual Lookup extends this capability by providing information about objects in images, such as landmarks, plants, and animals.

Enhanced Siri: Siri has received significant upgrades in iOS 18, with improved natural language processing and on-device speech recognition. This allows for faster responses and greater accuracy, even when offline. Siri also gains new contextual awareness features, making it more useful in everyday scenarios.

Performance and Usability Enhancements

1. Optimized Performance

Apple has focused on optimizing performance in iOS 18, ensuring that even older devices benefit from the update. Users can expect faster app launches, smoother animations, and improved battery life. These enhancements make the overall experience more fluid and enjoyable, regardless of the device’s age.

2. Battery Management

Battery life is a critical aspect of any mobile device, and iOS 18 introduces new battery management features to help users get the most out of their iPhones. The update includes a new battery health management system that provides users with insights into their battery’s health and offers recommendations for extending battery life.

User Interface and Interaction

1. Refined User Interface

iOS 18 brings a refined user interface with subtle design changes that enhance the overall aesthetics and usability. The update includes new animations, transitions, and visual effects that make interactions feel more natural and responsive.

2. Haptic Feedback

Apple has integrated haptic feedback more deeply into iOS 18, providing tactile responses for various interactions. This adds a new dimension to the user experience, making it more engaging and immersive.

App Updates

1. Redesigned Native Apps

Several native apps have been redesigned in iOS 18 to offer a more cohesive and modern experience.

Messages: iMessage introduces exciting new text effects that enliven conversations by giving any letter, word, phrase, or emoji dynamic, animated appearances. This enhancement allows users to better express tone by adding formatting options such as bold, underline, italics, and strikethrough. Additionally, Tapbacks have been expanded to include any emoji or sticker, providing more ways to react. Users can now also compose messages and schedule them to be sent at a later time, adding a layer of convenience and flexibility to their communications.

Photos: The Photos app undergoes its largest redesign ever, making it easier for users to find and revisit cherished moments. The app now features a simplified, single view with a familiar grid layout. New collections allow users to browse by themes without needing to organize content into albums, and these collections can be pinned for quick access to favorites. Additionally, a new carousel view showcases daily highlights, including favorite people, pets, places, and more. Autoplaying content throughout the app brings photo libraries to life, allowing users to enjoy past moments while browsing. Given the unique nature of each user’s photo library, the app is customizable, allowing users to organize and pin collections and personalize the carousel view with what matters most to them.

Mail:  Mail will unveil new features to help users manage their inboxes and stay organized. On-device categorization will automatically sort incoming emails into categories such as Primary for personal and urgent messages, Transactions for confirmations and receipts, Updates for news and social media notifications, and Promotions for marketing emails and coupons. Additionally, Mail will introduce a new digest view that compiles all relevant emails from a business, enabling users to quickly identify important information.

Maps: Apple Maps continues to improve with more detailed maps, enhanced navigation features, and new ways to explore cities. The update includes more accurate transit information, cycling directions, and a new AR-based navigation feature for walking directions.

Notes: The Notes app in iOS 18 now features Math Notes, which instantly solves any formulas and equations as you type them. Additionally, the app introduces new collapsible sections and highlighting tools, making it simpler to draw attention to important information and organize your notes more effectively.

Conclusion

iOS 18 is a significant update that brings a wealth of new features and improvements to the iPhone experience. With enhanced customization options, improved privacy features, advanced AI and machine learning capabilities, and a focus on health and wellness, iOS 18 is designed to make your iPhone more personal, powerful, and user-friendly. Whether you’re a long-time iPhone user or new to the Apple ecosystem, iOS 18 offers something for everyone, ensuring that your device remains at the forefront of mobile technology.