WWDC 2024: Apple reported to make major changes to Settings app and Control Centre with iOS 18. All we know so far

Apple's latest operating system for iPhones, iOS 18, is set to undergo a major transformation at the company's WWDC 2024 developer conference later this month. In particular, previous reports have suggested that iOS 18 will be the biggest upgrade in the Cupertino-based tech giant's history, with plans to revamp many key apps with generative AI.

In the latest update, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman states that Apple is planning to revamp the Settings app in iOS 18 with a cleaner interface, better organisation and much improved search. The company is also planning to bring improvements to the Control Centre with a new 'Now Playing' music widget and HomeKit smart home controls.

Apple's big move towards generative AI: 

In his weekly Power On newsletter, Gurman also reiterated that Apple is planning to integrate the power of generative AI to provide a much-needed upgrade to many of its apps. Reportedly, Apple will use generative AI to improve many of its core apps, including Photos, Messages, Notes and the Safari browser.

Apple is also likely to give its Siri voice assistant a major AI-powered overhaul. The digital assistant is now likely to be powered by Apple's own Large Language Model (LLM), which could allow it to power individual features within apps for the first time.

The Tim Cook-led company was recently reported to have signed a major deal with OpenAI to bring generative AI capabilities to iOS 18. Reports suggest that most of the new features could run on-device, which could help Apple differentiate itself from the competition.

Using on-device AI has some obvious advantages, including improved privacy, the ability to run offline or in places with poor internet connectivity, and faster response times. However, on-device large language models (LLMs) are not backed up by huge servers with billions of parameters (which power most commercial chatbots such as ChatGPT or Gemini), and as a result are in many cases not as powerful or knowledgeable.