Apple is set to introduce new features across its suite of services this fall with the release of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, watchOS 11, visionOS 2, and tvOS 18. The updates will include enhancements to Apple Maps, Apple Pay, Apple Music, and Apple Fitness+, among others.
Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Services, stated: “So many of our users rely on Apple services throughout their day... We’re excited to give them even more to love about our services.”
Apple Maps will now feature U.S. national park hikes and custom walking routes. Users can filter hikes by length, elevation, and route type and save them for offline use. Additionally, users can create custom walking routes for various activities and save their favorite hikes and routes in a new Places Library.
Apple Pay will offer more flexibility with the ability to redeem rewards and access installment loans from eligible credit or debit cards when making purchases online or in-app. These features will initially be available in select markets including the U.S., Australia, Spain, the U.K., with plans for further expansion.
New capabilities such as Tap to Provision allow users to add credit or debit cards to Apple Wallet by tapping their card against an iPhone. Tap to Cash enables sending and receiving money via Apple Cash by holding two iPhones together.
Event tickets in Apple Wallet will receive a significant redesign featuring key event information like venue maps and parking details.
Apple Fitness+ has been redesigned with personalized recommendations through a new For You feature. The service also introduces Explore for discovering new activities and an improved Library for tracking workouts and meditations.
SharePlay updates in Apple Music will enable more users to share control of music playing from various devices without needing an Apple Music subscription. Additionally, Music Haptics will allow deaf or hard-of-hearing users to experience music through vibrations using the Taptic Engine on iPhone.
The Apple TV app's new InSight feature provides real-time information about actors, characters, and music from Apple TV+ content. Enhancements like smarter Enhance Dialogue on tvOS 18 aim to improve vocal clarity over background noise.
iCloud Mail will introduce categorization features that organize emails into Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions categories. A redesign of iCloud settings aims to make it easier for users to manage their accounts effectively.
Finally, with these releases across multiple operating systems this fall, the term "Apple ID" will be rebranded as "Apple Account" for a consistent sign-in experience across all devices.
