Apple Inc. (AAPL  ) kicked off the iOS 18 update with some important quality-of-life improvements, including customization, smarter email organization, a better messaging experience, and more.

Perhaps the biggest change is to the home screen - Apple has added options to customize icons depending on the wallpaper or the color of your choice, as well as the ability to place icons in any order in the grid. The lock screen also has more customization options, giving users more control over how they want their phone to look.

Here are other major changes in iOS 18:

Apple Pay 'Tap To Cash:' Apple Pay will let users pay using the iPhone wirelessly with a single tap.

Game Mode: This mode redirects resources to the game, which will help in maintaining the frame rate and keep the latency low.

Privacy Improvements:

  • iOS 18 will allow users to lock apps and users will also get to hide apps so others can't see them.
  • Users can now decide which contacts to share with apps.
  • App developers will also be able to offer users the ability to restrict what kind of connected devices are shown to apps.
Messaging Improvements:

  • Users with iPhone 14 and later will be able to send messages via satellite connectivity, even when cellular connections are not available.
  • Users will be able to do a plethora of reactions with tapback.
  • New text effects like jitter, shake, and bounce have been added.
Mail Improvements:

  • Users get to sort all their incoming emails based on categories like Primary, Updates, Transactions, and Promotions.
  • In addition to these, Apple also announced a major upgrade to the Photos app, allowing users to intelligently sort their photos based on dates, places, and more. Users will also be able to pin their most impressive photos, giving them quick access.