Apple’s release of iOS 18 beta 3 in early July 2024 brought a host of new features, including a strong emphasis on artificial intelligence, user customization, and updates to apps like iMessage and Siri. The update is one of the most significant in Apple’s history, with a major focus on making the iPhone experience more intuitive and personalized. Here's an overview of the key features and updates introduced in iOS 18:

Key Features of iOS 18

1. AI and Siri Upgrades

• Apple Intelligence: Powered by the latest processors, Apple’s artificial intelligence is set to enhance user interactions. It will integrate deeper with the device, making it smarter and more responsive.
• Smarter Siri: Siri now has the ability to understand what's happening on your screen without additional instructions, improving the overall experience of using voice commands.

2. iMessage Redesign and Satellite Messaging

• iMessage gets a subtle redesign, making it easier to use and more intuitive.
• New functionality allows users to send messages via satellite, perfect for situations where regular mobile networks are unavailable, such as in remote areas or during outdoor activities.

3. Emoji Update

• The Emoji section has undergone a redesign, with emojis, stickers, and Memoji now available in one section, easily accessible with the new icons at the bottom.
• Users can also create their own stickers, and the "Recent" section has been expanded to make emoji selection more convenient.

New Emoji Features in iOS 18

Genmoji: Personalized Emojis

• Genmoji is a new feature that allows users to create personalized emojis by simply typing a description into the search bar. iOS 18 will generate the perfect emoji based on the description, enabling a level of customization previously unavailable.
• Font Size Consideration: Genmoji takes into account the font size of the text, so emojis can be resized and saved in different resolutions, from low to high, making them adaptable to various device types.

Seven New Emojis in iOS 18

The Unicode Consortium has revealed seven new emojis for iOS 18, each offering a unique addition to the emoji collection:

1. Exhausted Face: A face with panda eyes and dark circles, symbolizing extreme tiredness and exhaustion. It's perfect for expressing fatigue, whether from work or partying.
2. Fingerprint: This emoji, drawn in shades of blue, represents privacy, security, and identity, and could be used to indicate authentication or a sense of personal safety.
3. Leafless Tree: Depicting a tree without leaves, this emoji is poignant and can represent themes of winter, loneliness, emptiness, or devastation.
4. Root Veggie: Likely representing a beetroot or other root vegetable, this emoji can symbolize gardening, farming, or ecological trends.
5. Harp: A symbol commonly associated with Ireland, the harp emoji is a musical addition to the collection, perfect for messages about music, culture, or the country.
6. Shovel: While the shovel emoji can be used in a literal sense for gardening or digging, it could also be used in a darker context related to death, funerals, or horror themes.
7. Splatter: A playful purple ink or paint splatter emoji, ideal for conveying messiness, clumsiness, or creative processes like writing or painting. It’s also a quirky alternative to a period at the end of a message.

Overall, the iOS 18 beta 3 update is packed with innovations that significantly enhance the user experience, making it more personalized and intuitive, while also adding fun new features like Genmoji and the fresh batch of emojis.