One last iOS 18 update is coming before the year ends. In December, Apple will release iOS 18.2 to iPhone users, marking the last major change to the iPhone operating system in 2024. Of course, it’s just one of the many iOS updates that rolled out this year, so I wanted to take some time to rewind and highlight some of my favorite iPhone features introduced in 2024 that you might have forgotten about or didn’t even know debuted.
Stolen Device Protection: Introduced in early 2024, Stolen Device Protection is one of my favorite iPhone features. It adds a new layer of protection that helps you keep your data safe even if your iPhone is stolen. A second Face ID authentication is required to erase your content, log off iCloud, or change your password. Here’s how to use Stolen Device Protection.
Apple Music Collaborative Playlists: If you’re an Apple Music user, you probably love the Collaborative Playlists feature. You can invite friends to collaborate on your lists by adding, reordering, and removing songs. They can even react to songs with an emoji, which adds a nice touch to the streaming service. Here’s how to use it.
Messaging with Siri: With iOS 17.4, Siri has become smarter, and it can read incoming messages in multiple languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, and more. As a native Portuguese speaker, I find this feature very handy, as Siri can now read messages in both English and Portuguese.
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Podcasts Transcripts: For avid podcast listeners, one of the best iPhone features is definitely reading the transcripts of Apple Podcasts episodes. They can even search for words to quickly find a favorite moment in the podcast episode.
Improved battery life: Before introducing the iPhone 16, Apple revealed that the iPhone 15 battery actually lasts longer than previously announced. By May, the company said the iPhone 15 could last at least 1,000 complete cycles with up to 80% of total battery life, compared to the 500 cycles of its predecessors. In addition, there’s a new Battery setting that shows your iPhone’s cycle count, when the battery was manufactured, and when it was first used.
Tracking Notifications: Cross-platform tracking detection delivers notifications to users if a compatible Bluetooth tracker they do not own is moving with them, regardless of what operating system the device is paired with.
Home Screen revamp: With iOS 18, Apple revamped the Home Screen. App icons and widgets can take on a new look with a dark or tinted effect, and users can make apps appear even larger to personalize the experience to their liking.
iPhone Mirroring: You can control your iPhone on a Mac running macOS Sequoia, follow notifications, and even drag and drop content.
Image source: José Adorno for BGRLastly, these are some of my favorite Apple Intelligence features on iPhone, including the ones that will be available with iOS 18.2:
Image Playground: Users can create playful images in seconds, choosing from Animation, Illustration, or Sketch. This app is built right into apps like Messages and is also available in a dedicated app.
Genmoji: With this feature, iPhone users can use AI to generate new emoji characters based on text input, such as “T-rex wearing a tutu on a surfboard.” Learn more about it here.
Siri: Users will have the ability to switch between text and voice to communicate with Siri in whatever way makes the most sense at the moment.
ChatGPT integration: When you feel Apple Intelligence isn’t enough, you can allow ChatGPT to access Writing Tools and other features for a better response.
