At WWDC 2024, Apple could announce these two new features for iOS 18. At first, third-party apps wouldn’t benefit from this.
What will Apple announce during WWDC 2024, scheduled for Monday, June 10, 2024? While we are necessarily waiting for news on the AI front, for the moment largely neglected by the Cupertino company, Apple should take the opportunity to, as usual, add some interesting news to iOS 18.
The Californian company could redesign dark mode on the iPhone. Introduced in 2019 with iOS 13, dark mode has changed relatively little since then. While it can change interface elements, it’s currently impossible to act on app icons.
According to MacRumors, this is expected to change with iOS 18. Dark mode will now be able to include two shades for app icons, one for light mode and one for dark mode. Initially, Apple would have reserved this change for its pre-installed apps, but we imagine that an API for third-party apps is already in the works.
This new feature is more or less reminiscent of Google’s work on Material You and its Pixel Experience. Starting with Android 12 (2021), the Mountain View company’s smartphones have integrated a dynamic icon color change system, which draws on the colors of the background. App developers can also offer variants for dark mode.
Initially reserved only for Google apps, the feature was later opened up to third-party apps. All this has given the home screens of the Pixel and competing smartphones that also incorporate features, a very uniform and pleasing look to the eye. The iPhone’s home screens, by comparison, maintain a multi-colored rendering without the ability to impose a theme on all of its applications.
Mark Gurman, a Bloomberg journalist and Apple specialist, had already suggested the idea of a system to color app icons on iOS 18.
Another idea mentioned by MacRumors, such as Android 15 preparing the arrival of a safe to protect certain apps and sensitive data, iOS 18 would like to lock some apps behind Face ID.
The idea is simple: to use Mail, Messages, or Notes, for example, you’ll need to revalidate Face ID. Of course, for iPhones or iPads that use Touch ID, the system should adapt accordingly. For the time being, it’s not certain that Apple will allow third-party apps to take advantage of this.
When is iOS 18 coming?
Apple is therefore expected to announce iOS 18 on Monday, June 10, 2024, with a first beta available soon after Keynote. The version aimed at the general public is expected to arrive around September, coinciding with the iPhone 16.
