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Apple’s iOS 18 is available today, but your iPhone may not be compatible. All eligible devices and new features coming soon

Posted on by darion

Apple just released the new iOS 18 as a free download for all eligible iPhone models, which can be found in the Software Update settings. And if you’re planning on buying one of the new iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro models coming out on September 20, they’ll already have iOS 18 installed. However, not every iPhone will be able to run iOS 18, and even those that can won’t have all the bells and whistles of the new Apple Intelligence features.

This update stratification doesn’t matter now. Every year, some older iPhone models are generally removed from Apple’s iOS eligibility list. Last year, for example, the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X were omitted from the compatibility list. That meant iPhone owners couldn’t update to iOS 17 and lost access to some important features. On the other hand, some older devices will get important new features: Consider an upcoming software update that effectively turns your existing AirPods Pro into a hearing aid, complete with a built-in hearing test. (Apple just received FDA authorization to release the feature later this year.)

We’ll help you find out if your iPhone will support iOS 18, as well as Apple Intelligence. Additionally, Apple has also released a firmware update for the AirPods Pro 2. If you want a full list of everything new in iOS 18, check out Apple’s comprehensive PDF list (via MacRumors ). Still catching up on everything Apple announced at its September 9th launch event? Check out our full AirPods 4 review , as well as hands-on previews of the Apple Watch Series 10 , iPhone 16 , and iPhone 16 Pro .

There’s some good news: If you had an eligible phone last year when you updated to iOS 17, that device should still be compatible with iOS 18, according to Apple. That means you won’t have to buy a new phone to check out most of the new software features.

In other words, if you have an iPhone from the 2017 model year or earlier (iPhone 8 or iPhone X), you won’t be able to update to the latest version of iOS, but your phone should still work — albeit without the latest and greatest features.

While your older device will still run the latest iOS, chances are you won’t get to try out the Apple Intelligence beta next month. If you don’t have an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max — the top-of-the-line models coming out of 2023 — or one of the new iPhone 16 models, your iPhone isn’t eligible.

If your device is compatible with Apple Intelligence, you can start using some of these features as early as October when they begin rolling out in future updates to newer iPhone models.

The first round of Apple Intelligence features will be available in English in the U.S. in October. It will be available in English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the U.K. in December. Additional language support, including Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish, will be available next year, Apple says.

As previously reported, Apple Intelligence won’t be coming to EU countries anytime soon. The American tech giant remains embroiled in a fight with European regulators over the details of enforcing the EU’s Digital Markets Act.

While Apple Intelligence is definitely the biggest update coming with iOS 18, its features will roll out more piecemeal over the next few months. And the more advanced features won’t be available on older iPhone models beyond the iPhone 15 Pro series. But the rest of iOS 18’s features are available now. Here are just some of the top things you can expect when you download Apple’s new software.

Passwords App: Safely store all your credentials in one place, including passwords and security alerts, which you can access right in the app. (While this feature is currently available in Settings, moving it to the new app should make it easier to locate and access.)

Improved Messages app: The new iMessages experience offers the ability to bold, italicize, underline, and strikethrough text. You’ll also be able to add animations to your text messages. The update also brings RCS to iPhones to better support compatibility with Android.

Organized photo library: The Photos app is getting a redesign that lets you create and pin your own collections within the app—think “wedding photos” or “trip to Aruba.” It’s removing the current tabs at the bottom and moving to a grid layout. The updated carousel view that was touted at WWDC was removed during the beta process.

Personalized home screen layout: You’ll finally get the ability to change the order of your apps—for example, you can leave the center space open to show a photo of your home screen, and instead have your apps border the screen by themselves. You can also change the look of your apps by coloring them any color you want, as well as making them bigger.

There are many other improvements and tweaks to Keystone apps like Maps, Calendar, Safari, and more. Check out Cherlynn Low’s picks for the best hidden features in iOS 18 and its related Apple operating system updates, based on betas released earlier this year.

Here’s when you can get the latest software updates for your remaining Apple devices (most of them are available today).

  • MacOS Sequoia: September 16

  • iPadOS 18: September 16

  • WatchOS 11: September 16

  • tvOS 18: Apple hasn’t announced an official date for the latest tvOS software update. It’s still in public beta testing, though it’s nearing its final stages, according to MacRumors.

  • visionOS 2: September 16

As for AirPods, Apple has reportedly already released new firmware for AirPods Pro to prepare them for the additional features coming to the device with iOS 18. (However, it’s worth noting that the hearing aid functionality mentioned above may not arrive with the first wave of updates, despite the recent FDA approval.)

Updated September 16, 1:55 p.m. ET: iOS 18 availability confirmed.

Updated September 12, 3:28 PM EST: Added details regarding FDA hearing aid feature authorization for AirPods Pro.

Updated September 11, 12:13PM ET: Added new information about the new firmware for AirPods Pro.

Updated September 10, 9:54AM ET: Added release dates for additional Apple OS software updates.

Update, September 9, 5:00 PM EST: Added details regarding the unavailability of Apple Intelligence in EU countries.

Updated September 9, 3:37 p.m. ET: In this article, we’ve updated the announced release dates for iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence.