Anticipated Features of iOS 17 and iOS 18 Expected Next Year

In this article, we outline 7 iOS features slated for release on iPhone in 2024, including collaborative Apple Music playlists, AirPlay on hotel room TVs, third-party app downloads in Europe, next-generation CarPlay, satellite roadside assistance outside the US, and RCS support in the Messages app with AI integration for Siri.

Collaborative Apple Music Playlist

The new option for collaborative playlists in Apple Music will enable multiple users to add, reorder, and delete songs in shared playlists.

Google has introduced a similar feature on some hotel TVs, allowing guests to stream their own content through Chromecast. In June, Apple announced that Holiday Inn IHG Hotels & Resorts owners will be among the first hotel companies to implement this feature.

Download apps from third-party stores in the EU

Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman reported last year that Apple is preparing to allow app downloads from third-party stores on the iPhone to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act.

This will enable users to install apps outside of Apple's App Store, but this change is expected to be implemented only in European Union countries, at least initially. Gurman recently expressed hope that Apple will allow iPhone users in Europe to download third-party apps by early next year.

Next-generation CarPlay

During WWDC in June 2022, Apple unveiled the next-generation CarPlay, promising deeper integration with car functions such as A/C and FM radio, support for multiple screens on the dashboard, increased personalization capabilities, and more.

According to Apple's website, the first cars to support the next-generation CarPlay experience will be announced by 'late 2023,' but with only a few weeks left in the year, it's unclear if that timeframe will be met. Therefore, the next-generation CarPlay experience may not be available to customers until 2024.

Roadside assistance via satellite in other countries

Starting from iOS 17, all models of iPhones will offer roadside assistance via satellite, allowing users in the US to contact roadside assistance companies for services when outside of mobile and Wi-Fi coverage areas. Apple states that this feature is 'beginning' in the US, so it may expand to other countries starting from 2024.

RCS Support

In November, Apple announced that they will support the cross-platform messaging standard RCS in the Messages app on iPhone starting from 'next year.' Therefore, this could be a feature of iOS 18 based on that timeframe. RCS support will bring the following enhancements to the default messaging experience between iPhone and Android devices:

• Higher resolution photos and videos
• Voice messages
• Read receipts
• Wi-Fi messaging between iPhone and Android devices
• Improved group chats
• Enhanced encryption compared to SMS

The mentioned features above are already available for conversations between iPhones with blue bubbles, through iMessage, and many of these features are also available in third-party messaging apps, such as WhatsApp and Telegram. RCS support on iPhone will extend these features to green bubbles in the Messages app.

Smarter Siri

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman hopes that iOS 18 will feature Generative AI 'to improve how both Siri and the Messages app can ask questions and automatically complete sentences.' He notes that Apple has also been exploring Generative AI features for other apps across its platforms, including Apple Music, Pages, Keynote, and Xcode.

The Information reports that Apple plans to integrate large language models into Siri to allow users to automate complex tasks, a feature that will involve deeper integration with the Shortcuts app. The report suggests this feature is expected to be released in an iPhone software update next year, most likely iOS 18.