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Release appearance

iOS 18.0 Public

Source-linked record
Public release

Recorded context

About this appearance

The public iOS 18 release established the cycle’s personalization, Photos, Messages, Safari, Passwords, and Maps foundations, alongside a separately documented security update.

Date
Sep 16, 2024
Availability
available
Revision
No

Chronology evidence

Appearance sources

These sources support the recorded date, channel, or availability. A researched release-notes article has not been added.

  1. About iOS 18 Updates

    Apple Support · 2026-07-29 · iOS 18 — Home Screen and Control Center

  2. About iOS 18 Updates

    Apple Support · 2026-07-29 · iOS 18 — Messages via satellite and RCS messaging

  3. About iOS 18 Updates

    Apple Support · 2026-07-29 · iOS 18 — Messages

  4. About iOS 18 Updates

    Apple Support · 2026-07-29 · iOS 18 — Passwords

  5. About iOS 18 Updates

    Apple Support · 2026-07-29 · iOS 18 — Photos

  6. About iOS 18 Updates

    Apple Support · 2026-07-29 · iOS 18 — Safari

  7. About iOS 18 Updates

    Apple Support · 2026-07-29 · iOS 18

  8. About the Security Content of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18

    Apple Support · 2026-07-29 · Released September 16, 2024

Release changes

Changed in this release

Features, fixes, removals, and regressions first observed in this release record.

enhancement · changed

Messages formatting, effects, and Send Later

documentedconfirmed

Bold, underline, italic, and strikethrough formatting joined animated text effects, broader Tapbacks, and Send Later for composing messages ahead of time.

  1. [1] About iOS 18 Updates · iOS 18 — Messages

feature · introduced

RCS and Messages via satellite

documentedconfirmed

Supported devices could send messages over satellite when cellular and Wi-Fi service were unavailable, while carrier-supported RCS improved media, receipts, and group messaging with non-Apple devices.

  1. [1] About iOS 18 Updates · iOS 18 — Messages via satellite and RCS messaging

feature · changed

Redesigned Photos library

documentedconfirmed

The Photos redesign combined the grid and collections into a single view, added topic-based organization, and let users reorder or pin the collections they use most.

  1. [1] About iOS 18 Updates · iOS 18 — Photos

feature · introduced

Home Screen and Control Center customization

documentedconfirmed

Apps and widgets could be arranged with more open space, icons could use dark or tinted appearances, and Control Center controls could be grouped, resized, and reached from additional pages.

  1. [1] About iOS 18 Updates · iOS 18 — Home Screen and Control Center

enhancement · changed

Safari Highlights, Reader, and Distraction Control

documentedconfirmed

Supported pages could surface summaries and useful details through Highlights and Reader, while Distraction Control let users hide selected page elements that interfered with browsing.

  1. [1] About iOS 18 Updates · iOS 18 — Safari

feature · introduced

Passwords app

documentedconfirmed

Passwords moved credential management into a standalone app with synced access to passwords, passkeys, verification codes, Wi-Fi credentials, and warnings about weak or compromised passwords.

  1. [1] About iOS 18 Updates · iOS 18 — Passwords