These are the three most exciting iOS 18 features, according to Ny Breaking’s exclusive survey
Now that the dust has settled on the many iOS 18 announcements from WWDC 2024, we wanted to know which iPhone feature Apple fans are most excited about β so we wanted to answer that question in a new WhatsApp poll.
We asked the many followers in our WhatsApp channel (368,000 subscribers and counting) the simple question “which iOS 18 feature are you most excited about for your iPhone?”. The answers give us a revealing look at the features you’ll use most when iOS 18 releases in September β and those that can be ignored.
The poll also gives us a snapshot of how much of the Ny Breaking audience is on Android. The top answer in our poll (by about 1,664 votes) was actually, “I don’t care (I use Android).”
But Android fans aside, a significant number of iPhone owners picked their favorite features from our list of iOS 18’s biggest headlines. There wasn’t much love for the upgrades to Apple Mail, the redesigned Photos app or, surprisingly, support for RCS messaging – which should make texting Android-owning friends a much better experience.
Still, here are the top three iOS 18 features that Ny Breaking’s Apple fans are most excited about:
3. Texting via satellite (130 votes)
The popularity of iOS 18’s satellite texting feature was a bit of a surprise, as it will be limited to that of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 series. But there’s no denying how useful this expansion to Emergency SOS could be for those stuck in mobile dead zones.
If you’re disconnected from both cellular and Wi-Fi connections for a while, iOS 18 will alert you to ask if you want to use satellite connectivity. From there you can use the Messages app to send or receive both text messages and iMessages.
For now, the feature is free for two years from the time you bought your iPhone 14 or iPhone 15, but Apple has said it plans to charge for the feature in the future.
2. Customizable home screen (279 votes)
We thought iOS 18’s Advanced Home Screen Customization (which has more than a touch of Android) would be the top pick in our survey. But it still came in a respectable second place, with 9% of the vote.
If you missed WWDC 2024, iOS 18 lets you do a lot of things that Apple previously adamantly refused to allow on the iPhone, including the ability to place apps at the bottom or side of the screen so you can keep your beautiful wallpaper you can see behind it.
We can also hide app names (as above), for a super minimalist look. And there’s the option to activate new dark mode icons and add color tones too. Thanks Apple, it’s about time.
1. The new Siri assistant (495 votes)
Apple’s big Siri upgrade was definitely one of the biggest stories of WWDC 2024, and you emphatically agreed. Overall, 16% of respondents to our WhatsApp survey said the new Siri assistant is iOS 18’s most exciting feature.
Unfortunately, the rebooted Siri β which can also connect to ChatGPT thanks to a deal with OpenAI β will be limited to the iPhone 15 Pro series (or iPads and Macs) with an M1 chip. It will undoubtedly also be compatible with the iPhone 16 series in September.
But if you’re lucky enough to have a recent iPhone, you’ll get Siri’s visual makeover, more natural conversation skills, and the ability to type questions to Siri later this year. Starting next year, Siri will also have the ability to use “personal context” and on-screen awareness to become even more useful.
Considering we’ve been waiting 13 years for Apple to deliver on Siri’s original promise, we couldn’t be happier β and you sound pretty excited about it too.