Many iOS 2024 and iOS 17 features are expected to launch in 18. iPhones will receive them as part of the iOS 17 update by June of next year. Then iOS 18 will be released.
The new iOS will bring the biggest update in recent years, receiving major functional and visual improvements. According to a new report Mac Rumors, there will be a lot to see in iOS 18.
Journalists have compiled a list of features that will appear on the iPhone in 2024. Some of them will be released as part of iOS 17 updates, but most of them are expected with the release of a new version of the operating system in the fall. These include stolen device protection, shared Apple Music playlists, AirPlay on hotel room TVs, EU app downloads, next-gen CarPlay, satellite roadside assistance outside the US, RCS support in Messages, and generative artificial intelligence for Siri.
Protecting a stolen device
Protecting stolen devices is an encouraging solution to the problem from Apple. Apple says this feature is designed to add an extra layer of security in case someone steals your iPhone and also gets the device passcode.
When this feature is enabled, Face ID or Touch ID authentication is strictly required to perform the following actions, and the fallback passcode is no longer available.
- Access passwords or passkeys stored in iCloud Storage
- Applying for a new Apple Card or viewing a virtual Apple Card number
- Disabling loss mode
- Erase all content and settings
- Performing certain Apple Cash and Apple Card Savings actions in the Wallet app
- Using payment methods saved in Safari
- Using iPhone to set up a new device
For particularly sensitive actions, including changing the password of an Apple ID account associated with an iPhone, the feature adds a one-hour security delay on top of biometric authentication. In such cases, the user must authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID, wait one hour, and authenticate again with Face ID or Touch ID. However, Apple says there is no lag when the iPhone is in familiar places, such as home or work.
Actions that require Face ID or Touch ID authentication and have a one-hour security delay when this feature is enabled:
- Change your Apple ID password
- Update selected Apple ID security settings, including adding or removing a trusted device, trusted phone number, recovery key, or recovery contact
- Changing the iPhone passcode
- Add or remove Face ID or Touch ID
- Disabling the "Locator" function
- Disabling protection of a stolen device
Stolen Device Protection is a consent feature found in the Settings app under Face ID & Passcode, and it's available on all iPhones compatible with iOS 17. iPhone users updating to iOS 17.3 beta can preview this feature.
Apple plans to share more information about this feature when iOS 17.3 is widely released.
Collections for collaboration in Apple Music
The new Shared Playlists option for Apple Music subscribers allows multiple people to add, reorder, and remove songs from a shared playlist. Users can leave animated emoji reactions next to songs in the playlist.
AirPlay on TVs in hotel rooms
Following the release of iOS 17.2, Apple updated its website to indicate that AirPlay for hotel room TVs has been delayed until next year.
Apple originally said the feature was "coming later this year," but now it says it's "coming in an update in 2024." Apple didn't provide a more specific time frame, but the feature should be added in the iOS 17 update in the first half of next year.
The feature will allow iPhone users to scan a QR code on their hotel room TV to establish an AirPlay connection, allowing them to wirelessly stream videos, photos and music from their iPhone to the TV. Google already offers a similar feature on some hotel TVs, allowing guests to stream content from their smartphone via Chromecast.
Apple said in June that Holiday Inn's parent company IHG Hotels & Resorts would be one of the first hotel chains to adopt the feature.
Downloading applications in the EU
Mark Gurman from Bloomberg reported last year that Apple was preparing to allow side-loading of apps on the iPhone to comply with the European Union's Digital Markets Act. This will allow users to install apps outside of Apple's App Store, but the change is expected to be implemented only in European Union countries, at least initially.
New generation CarPlay
Apple said the first cars with support for its next-generation CarPlay system would be announced in late 2023, and it delivered on that promise with just days to spare. Earlier in December, Aston Martin and Porsche unveiled what the next-generation CarPlay experience will look like in some of their upcoming cars. Aston Martin has confirmed that it will launch its first cars with next-generation CarPlay in 2024, but there's no specific timeframe and details remain scarce.
Satellite Roadside Assistance outside the US
Starting with iOS 17, all iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 models offer Satellite Roadside Assistance, which allows users in the U.S. to contact an AAA roadside assistance company for vehicle service while outside of cellular coverage and Wi-Fi.
Apple said the feature is available "initially" in the US, so it's likely to roll out to some additional countries starting in 2024.
RCS support
In November, Apple announced that it would support the cross-platform RCS messaging standard in the Messages app on the iPhone starting "late next year," so it's likely to be an iOS 18 feature based on that time frame.
RCS support should lead to the following improvements to standard messaging between iPhone and Android devices:
- Higher resolution photos and videos
- Audio message
- Typesetting indicators
- Reading reports
- Exchange messages over Wi-Fi between iPhone and Android devices
- Improved group chats, including the ability for iPhone users to chat with Android users
- Improved encryption compared to SMS
Smarter Siri
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects iOS 18 to feature generative artificial intelligence technology that "should improve the way both Siri and Messages can ask questions and autocomplete sentences." Apple has also been exploring generative AI features for other apps on its platforms, including Apple Music, Pages, Keynote and Xcode, he said.
The Information has reported that Apple plans to include extensive speech patterns in Siri to allow users to automate complex tasks, a feature that will involve deeper integration with the Shortcuts app. The report says that the feature is expected to be released in next year's iPhone software update, which is likely to be iOS 18.
The popularity of generative artificial intelligence skyrocketed last year when OpenAI released ChatGPT, a chatbot that can answer questions and other prompts. Google and Microsoft released similar chatbots earlier this year as more companies compete in the space. Chatbots are trained on large language models, allowing them to respond like a human.
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