Technology
iOS 18: Discover new features in Apple's latest operating system
Apple has released the latest version of its iOS operating system, iOS 18. The company first showcased the OS during WWDC 2024 in June and began rolling it out to iPhones on Sept. 16.
In many ways, iOS 18 can be considered the biggest iOS update in a while as it introduces big changes in design, features and overall usability.
The iPhone 15 Pros and the new iPhone 16 models also pack some artificial intelligence features you won’t find on other iPhones. I’ll walk you through some of the key iOS 18 features you should know about.
GET SECURITY ALERTS, EXPERT TIPS – SIGN UP FOR KURT’S NEWSLETTER – THE CYBERGUY REPORT HERE
IOS 18 new features (Apple)
Which iPhones will get the iOS 18 update?
Before you read about the features, it’s important to know if your iPhone will get the newest iOS update. Below is the list of iPhones eligible for the iOS 18 update.
- iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max
- iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (2nd gen), SE (3rd gen)
- iPhone 12 mini, 12, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 13 mini, 13, 13 Pro, and 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, and 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max
APPLE’S BOLD MOVE INTO AI: NEW IPHONE 16, AIRPODS AND WATCHES
8 iOS 18 features everyone should know about
IOS 18 is a massive update with tons of improvements and new features. I’m not going to dive into every single one, but here are eight of my favorites. I’ve been using some of them for a while now, since I was part of the beta program, which gave me early access.
1. Home Screen customizations
If you’ve been using iPhones for a while, you know Apple hasn’t given you much control over how things look on screen. That changes now with iOS 18 as the company has introduced several new features that let you personalize your iPhone’s Home Screen.
You can now freely place app icons and widgets anywhere within the Home Screen grid. This is something Android users have been flexing on iPhone users about for quite some time. In a way, it makes your iPhone feel a lot more personalized.
Apple is also letting you change the color of your apps and widgets on the Home Screen. You can switch between light and dark mode, and the icons will adjust accordingly if the app has a dark mode icon available.
iPhone Home Screen customization (Apple)
IS IT TIME FOR ME TO UPGRADE TO NEW IPHONE?
2. The most significant Photos redesign
This major update to Photos enhances the ease of finding and reliving special moments. The elegant, streamlined layout presents the library with a unified yet familiar view. New collections such as Recent Days, People & Pets, and Trips use on-device intelligence to automatically organize the library, allowing you to spend less time searching and more time enjoying your memories. You can also personalize your experience with a customizable layout that highlights what matters most to you and pin favorite collections for quick access.
3. Locking and hiding apps
There are some apps you might want to keep on your phone but don’t want others to know about. With iOS 18, iPhone users can now lock any app behind Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode, ensuring no one can open the app without your authentication. If you want to take things a step further, you can use the hiding feature.
When you hide an app, it won’t appear in your app library or search results. You won’t receive any notifications from the app unless you open the dedicated hidden folder from the app library. The only way to access this folder is by using Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode.
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR IPHONE & IPAD FROM MALWARE
4. Upgraded Messages app
Apple has added some cool new features to the Messages app. You can now use text effects for specific words in your messages, with options like big, small, shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom and jitter. Plus, there are new formatting options that are a lot like what you’d find in Google Docs or Microsoft Word.
The Messages app also gets an upgraded Tapback system, so you can react to messages with a wider range of emojis or stickers, not just the Apple-approved ones from before. Another new feature is scheduling, which lets you set messages to be sent at a later time.
Upgraded Messages app (Apple)
LITTLE-KNOWN SECRET WAY TO CLEAN YOUR AIRPODS THE RIGHT WAY
5. Siri is getting an AI boost
Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant, has been pretty limited so far. It often just points you to Apple’s website or insists on searching the web for almost every question. However, with iOS 18, Apple is giving Siri a major AI upgrade. The new Siri will be able to handle more complex questions and remember what you say, kind of like ChatGPT.
Apple also says Siri will be able to see what’s on your screen and help with any questions you have. Plus, it’ll be able to find specific messages, pictures or files. For example, you could ask Siri to locate the email you received from your colleague about the project last month or show you the recipe you saved for your favorite pasta dish.
However, the new Siri won’t be available with the initial iOS 18 release. Apple says the upgrade is still a work in progress and will be coming either near the end of the year or at the beginning of 2025.
WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?
6. Control Center changes
The Control Center gets a new multipage layout with a Controls Gallery where third-party developers can add their own widgets. You can even swap the new controls onto the lock screen, replacing the flashlight and camera icons.
Apple has also introduced a new API that lets third-party apps add controls to the revamped Control Center. For example, Apple has shown how the Ford app will use this API to let you start your vehicle, open the trunk and more right from the Control Center.
7. RCS (rich communication service) support
You won’t really notice or get much out of RCS if most of your friends and family use iPhones. RCS is designed to improve texting between iPhone and Android devices.
It’s an upgrade from SMS/MMS. It adds things like typing indicators, delivery and read receipts, higher-quality photos and videos, and the ability to text over Wi-Fi or mobile data instead of just relying on your carrier’s network. It also makes it easier to manage group chats, like letting you leave conversations.
8. iPhone mirroring
With iOS 18, Apple has made it easier for iPhones and Macs to work together. The new iPhone Mirroring feature lets you control your iPhone directly from your Mac by showing your iPhone’s screen on your Mac. You can use your Mac’s mouse, keyboard and trackpad to manage iPhone apps, check notifications and more. This feature will basically create a digital version of your iPhone on your Mac.
What about all the AI features?
Most of the AI features under Apple Intelligence won’t be available with the initial iOS 18 release. As I mentioned earlier, these will roll out in later iOS 18 updates, possibly at the end of this year or early 2025. However, the features I talked about earlier will be ready right after you install the iOS 18 update, except for the upgraded Siri.
How to install iOS 18 update?
- Tap on Settings
- Tap on General
- Tap on Software Update
- If an update is available, it will give you the option to download and install.
To keep your phone up to date, you can turn on automatic updates. Just go to the Software Update screen, click on “Automatic Updates” and switch on all the services you want to update automatically.
SUBSCRIBE TO KURT’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR QUICK VIDEO TIPS ON HOW TO WORK ALL OF YOUR TECH DEVICES
Kurt’s key takeaway
iOS 18 is an exciting upgrade with lots of improvements for your iPhone. You can personalize your phone and use cool features like iPhone Mirroring to better connect with your other Apple devices. The Messages app now includes fun effects to spice up your texting experience. However, it’s a bit disappointing that the Apple Intelligence features, which have been hyped since WWDC, won’t be available right away with the initial release.
Which iOS 18 feature do you think you’re going to use the most? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.
Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you’d like us to cover.
Follow Kurt on his social channels:
Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:
New from Kurt:
Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Technology
Discord accidentally banned over 8,000 people for posting grids and other ‘benign’ images
Stanislav Vishnevskiy, Discord co-founder and chief technology officer, writes that the bug impacted around 200 users who posted “grid-like” pictures, in addition to about 8,000 people who posted “other benign images” since May 2026. “Everyone affected has now been unbanned,” Vishnevskiy says.
In a thread on X, Discord writes that its safety system is designed to flag content by “matching it against known harmful material.” This system can produce “false positives,” Discord explains, which is when an employee would step in to review the flagged content. But instead of just temporarily preventing the account from uploading content during the review, a glitch led its system to ban users entirely.
“When our staff reviewed and cleared those accounts, the same bug prevented the ban from being lifted automatically, so it just stayed in place,” Discord says.
Technology
Hoto’s PixelDrive screwdriver is down to $60, matching its best price
If your Prime Day purchases included a new desk, TV stand, bookshelf, or other furniture you still haven’t assembled, Hoto’s PixelDrive cordless screwdriver can help speed up the process. It’s currently on sale for $59.99 ($20 off) at Amazon, matching its best price to date.
From tightening loose screws on furniture to repairing electronics, the PixelDrive is designed to handle a wide range of household projects. Hoto includes 30 screwdriver bits that cover many of the most common screw types, all neatly organized in a small cylindrical case. It also offers six adjustable torque settings, allowing you to use less power when working with fragile electronics or increase it when putting together a desk, bookshelf, TV stand, or other furniture. You can also switch between a slower 80RPM mode for more precise work and a faster 200RPM mode with the press of a button.
Hoto also added several features that make assembling projects a little easier. A built-in display lets you quickly check your current torque setting and remaining battery life, while an integrated LED light helps illuminate dim spaces, whether you’re working under a desk or inside a cabinet. The rechargeable 2,000mAh battery also charges over USB-C, so you won’t need to keep buying disposable batteries.
Technology
Starship delivery robots leave campuses for cities
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Those little white robots that once rolled across college sidewalks with lattes, fries and late-night snacks are getting a new assignment. Starship Technologies recently announced that it will wind down its U.S. university campus operations and redeploy more than 1,200 robots toward grocery chains and hot food delivery in cities across the United States and Europe.
If you have ever watched one of these robots patiently wait at a crosswalk like a polite cooler on wheels, you know why students got attached. They became part campus convenience, part mascot. Now, the company is moving from a controlled campus setting into a much tougher public test.
CHINA‘S ROBOT-RUN HOTEL OPENS TO PUBLIC IN 2027
That raises the bigger question: will these cute campus robots be just as welcome when they start sharing crowded city sidewalks with you?
Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report
- Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox.
- For simple, real-world ways to spot scams early and stay protected, visit CyberGuy.com – trusted by millions who watch CyberGuy on TV daily.
- Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide free when you join.
Starship is winding down U.S. campus robot operations as it expands grocery delivery in the U.S. and Europe. (Starship)
Why Starship is pulling robots from college campuses
Starship says the decision comes down to focus. The company says its grocery delivery operations are on a 10x growth trajectory over the next two years, driven by demand from major retailers in the United States and Europe.
In Finland, Starship says its robots already complete roughly one in five grocery deliveries. That gives the company a real-world model it wants to repeat elsewhere. To support that expansion, more than 1,200 robots from U.S. campus fleets will be moved into grocery delivery. For Starship, that is a major pivot. Campuses helped the company build its brand in the U.S. They also gave the robots a place to learn.
Why college campuses were the perfect robot testing ground
Starship made a big U.S. splash at George Mason University in 2019, when the school became the first U.S. university to offer autonomous robot deliveries from Starship. From there, the robots spread to dozens of campuses. That made sense. College students are often hungry at odd hours. Many live without a full kitchen. They also tend to be open to new tech, especially when it brings food to the dorm without small talk.
During the pandemic, contactless delivery became even more appealing. A robot that could roll up with lunch while limiting person-to-person contact suddenly felt useful in a very different way.
The campus pullback will not happen overnight
Starship says it has worked with its university campuses and industry partners to keep service running through the 2026–2027 back-to-school season, with transition plans in place to reduce disruption. So, this does not appear to be an instant shutdown where every campus robot disappears at once. Instead, the company is moving away from the university model while preparing its fleet for a bigger push into grocery and restaurant delivery.
For students who loved the bots, it may still feel like the end of an era. For Starship, though, it is a move toward the market where the company believes the economics are stronger. Starship CEO and co-founder Ahti Heinla says the company’s robots can deliver groceries at a cost $3-$4 lower per delivery than traditional courier fulfillment. That is the kind of claim that gets the attention of retailers trying to make last-mile delivery less expensive.
ZOOX ROBOTAXI REDESIGN BRINGS BIG RIDER UPGRADES
Why city sidewalks could be a tougher test
The next phase could get messy. Delivery robots have to share sidewalks with people who are walking, pushing strollers, using wheelchairs, carrying groceries or trying to catch a bus. That means every design choice matters. A robot that blocks a curb ramp can create a real problem. A robot that pauses in the wrong spot can turn from cute to irritating fast. If one reverses unexpectedly or gets stuck near a crosswalk, the novelty wears off even faster.
There have already been warning signs. Reports have described delivery robots bumping into people, getting stuck in odd places and raising accessibility concerns. Chicago has also seen local pushback and safety concerns around sidewalk delivery robots, which shows Starship still has work to do if it wants city residents to embrace them. That is the challenge Starship now faces. The same robot that felt charming on a campus may feel like clutter on a narrow sidewalk.
Starship Technologies is shifting more than 1,200 campus delivery robots to grocery and restaurant deliveries in cities. (Starship)
What grocery delivery changes
Grocery delivery is a different business from campus food delivery. A college order might be a sandwich, a soda or a late-night snack. A grocery run can involve heavier items, more frequent routes and customers who expect reliability every time. If Starship can make that work, the payoff could be huge. Grocery stores want cheaper local delivery. Customers want speed without sky-high fees. Cities want fewer cars clogging short delivery routes.
Starship says the global food delivery market is now worth $650 billion and needs delivery systems with higher autonomy levels. The company also says it has completed more than 10 million deliveries, which gives it a sizable head start in the sidewalk robot category.
However, the public will need convincing. People may welcome a robot bringing milk and eggs on a rainy night. They may also get annoyed if that same robot blocks a sidewalk during the morning rush. That will all decide whether sidewalk robots become normal or face more local limits.
Why Estonia still matters to Starship
Starship was founded in Tallinn, Estonia, in 2014 by Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis. Estonia remains home to the company’s core engineering and AI development team. That is important because this shift is not only about where the robots operate.
The big question for robot delivery
Starship’s move shows where the delivery robot business is headed. College campuses helped make the robots likable. Grocery delivery may determine whether they become profitable. Still, the sidewalks belong to the public. That means companies need more than clever machines. They need trust, clear rules and designs that respect people who move through cities in different ways.
A delivery robot should never make a sidewalk harder to use for someone with a cane, stroller or wheelchair. It should not turn public space into an obstacle course. If companies want these robots to feel normal, they need to prove they can operate without making daily life more frustrating.
ARE HUMANOID ROBOTS NOW COMING FOR RETAIL JOBS?
Starship says grocery delivery demand is pushing its robot fleet from college campuses into urban neighborhoods. (Starship)
What this means to you
You may start seeing more delivery robots near grocery stores, restaurants and apartment-heavy neighborhoods. If that happens, pay attention to how they behave in your area. Look for whether they yield to pedestrians, avoid curb ramps and handle crowded sidewalks well. Also, check whether your city has rules for personal delivery devices. Some places allow pilot programs, while others limit where these robots can operate.
If a robot causes a problem, document it safely. Take a photo or video, note the location and report it to your city or the delivery company. That is important because local officials need real examples, not vague frustration, when they decide what rules should apply. There is also a privacy angle. These robots use sensors and cameras to navigate. Companies may say the data supports safe operation, but you still deserve clear answers about what gets collected, how long it is kept and whether law enforcement can request it.
Watch the CyberGuy Live replay: Lock Down Your Phone in 30 Minutes
Your phone holds your email, passwords, photos, banking apps and personal data. In this free CyberGuy Live replay, Kurt the CyberGuy walks you step by step through simple phone security fixes you can do at your own pace. You’ll learn how to improve your privacy settings, spot the latest phone scams, use trusted security tools and walk away with a simple checklist to stay protected. Watch the replay and get our checklist here: CyberGuyLive.com
Kurt’s key takeaways
Starship’s campus exit feels like the end of a quirky era, especially for students who got used to seeing the little robots rolling around campus. But this shift also tells us something bigger about where autonomous delivery is going. The next battle will happen on city sidewalks, not college campuses. If these robots save money and reduce short car trips, they could become very useful. But if they crowd walkways or create safety headaches, people will push back hard. To me, the real test is pretty clear. Robot delivery needs to work for everyone on the sidewalk, including people who never ordered anything.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Would you be ok with a delivery robot on your block, or would you rather keep your sidewalks robot-free? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.
Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report
- Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox.
- For simple, real-world ways to spot scams early and stay protected, visit CyberGuy.com – trusted by millions who watch CyberGuy on TV daily.
- Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide free when you join.
Copyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
-
World3 minutes agoRussian missiles strike Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, for third time in a week
-
News30 minutes agoReigning champion Argentina escapes with remarkable World Cup victory over Egypt
-
Los Angeles, Ca2 hours agoPunk legends unite for special Ramones tribute in Los Angeles
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoFirefighters battle large blaze at vacant apartment complex on Detroit’s west side
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours ago
49ers Sign DL Gracen Halton to a Four-Year Deal
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoDallas Mavericks head coach Dusty May shares vision for team’s NBA championship future
-
Miami, FL3 hours ago
Miami Dolphins Academy
-
Boston, MA3 hours agoOver 5 inches of rain fell in parts of New England. Here are the highest totals. – The Boston Globe