We've heard a lot about iOS6 ahead of WWDC10, which is scheduled to start on 2024/18. New features, rumors of AI, and all sorts of changes expected from the next version of Apple's mobile operating system. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has revealed a variety of things, including what AI features should be expected in iOS18.

According to Gurman, Apple's AI strategy is to "appeal to the practical side of users" and to provide features that can be used every day. Other "wiz-bang features" will obviously be left to other companies.  That means new features in existing core apps like Safari, Photos, Notes, and Siri.

AI features reported along the way include photo retouching, transcribing voice memos, suggestions on how to reply to emails and messages, improved search in Safari and Spotlight, auto-generated emojis created with generated AI, notification and message summaries, document and web page summaries, and more advanced features in Siri.

The Siri upgrade includes the ability to have a more natural conversation with your virtual assistant. Gurman also claims that there is a more advanced version of Siri built for the Apple Watch that should be designed to handle "tasks on the go."

However, the emoji generation feature sounds the most interesting to me. Apparently this uses generative AI to create brand new emojis based on the content of your message. Therefore, it is not limited to the scope of the existing emoji catalog. 

Gurman also revealed that ios18 will force users to change the color of the app icon as part of an improved home screen. It has nothing to do with AI, but the idea here is that you can color coordinate your app. So finance can be green and social media can be blue. These apps may also offer options to make your device more personalized, without having to be placed in a standard home screen grid.

We have already heard that Apple will sell these AI features as a "preview" of the iOS 18 beta. It is unclear whether this label will follow the public version, but it highlights the point that the technology is not yet completely certain. 

No doubt, we'll hear more about iOS18's AI capabilities at WWDC in a few weeks. So be sure to check out WWDC2024 and iOS18 hubs for the latest news and updates.