Synthetic intelligence can be an important matter at WWDC 2024 subsequent week. Apple will lastly unveil generative AI options constructed for the iPhone. However the iOS 18 improve can be extra than simply AI, and a few of these non-AI options have additionally began leaking.
One thrilling function reportedly coming to iOS 18 is the power to place apps and widgets anyplace on the iPhone dwelling display screen. I’ve been ready for years for this, as I hate the overcrowded grid system we’ve been utilizing to rearrange apps on the house display screen for the reason that first iPhone.
There’s one other app that’s extremely crowded on iPhone, and it’s one I’ve been dying for Apple to repair. That’s the Settings app, which is extremely annoying to navigate when it is advisable to discover one thing particular. I say this as a seasoned iPhone consumer. I don’t even need to think about what it should really feel wish to navigate the Settings app as a beginner.
Fortunately, new rumors say that Apple will replace the Settings app in iOS 18. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman talked about the updates on X a couple of days in the past. He’s now again with extra details about the adjustments.
The well-known Apple leaker stated just lately that Apple will give the Settings app a “new UI with a reorganized cleaner format that’s extra easy to navigate.” Moreover, Apple is bettering the Search function within the Settings app.
Gurman addressed the iPhone’s Settings app in his Energy On publication on Sunday. That’s the place he supplied an extra element that I had predicted: macOS may even get the identical new Settings app.
In different iOS 18 information, listed here are a couple of extra tidbits: The Settings app is getting revamped with a cleaner interface, higher group, and much-improved search (that is coming to macOS as nicely). Management Heart, in the meantime, can be upgraded with a brand new music widget and enhancements to the way it operates good dwelling home equipment.
The issue with the Settings app on the iPhone proper now’s that you must maintain scrolling to search out the setting you need. There’s a search function, however individuals usually have hassle determining precisely what to seek for.
Additionally, there’s no logic behind Apple’s Settings app on iPhone. It’s a mishmash of settings that should be tweaked infrequently, plus tons of apps that ought to by no means be there. I’m speaking each concerning the Apple apps populating the checklist and the third-party apps. These apps ought to conceal in a unique menu somewhat than the primary web page of the Settings app.
To grasp how annoying the Settings app is, simply search for the Digital camera settings and depend the variety of screens you must scroll to get to it. That’s some unusual placement for one of many iPhone’s key apps and promoting factors.
Transferring on to the Mac, Apple tried to make the macOS Settings look extra just like the iPhone and iPad a couple of years in the past. This was half of a bigger UI change that helped Apple make the Mac expertise extra like an iPhone. Apple wanted this for 2 causes.
First, it’s loads simpler to transform iPhone consumers to Mac if every part feels acquainted. Second, this unification of UI works for Continuity options but additionally units the stage for a future the place MacOS and iPadOS might need to merge. Keep in mind that rumors say Apple will launch a foldable MacBook within the coming years. No matter working system finally ends up on that gadget, it’ll have a well-recognized UI.
However the Settings app in macOS seems to be nothing just like the iPhone. It’s cleaner in a method that I’d need to see on the iPhone. It’s also considerably extra complicated to navigate as a result of it’s not similar to the iPhone. And sure, the Mac wants settings which might be completely different from these on the iPhone or iPad.
With all that in thoughts, I hope these iOS 18 and macOS 15 predictions come true. Apple ought to repair the Settings app on all its working methods and make it simpler to navigate. As for the brand new Management Heart adjustments that Gurman teases, I’m curious to see what Apple does with the music and good dwelling widgets. The latter actually wants higher integration in iOS 18.
If Gurman’s sources are correct, Apple will unveil all these options subsequent Monday at WWDC.
