Apple brings many India-focused features to iPhones with iOS 18: All you need to know

Apple's latest operating system, iOS 18, released on September 16th, introduces several India-centric features designed to improve communication, language support, and overall user experience for iPhone users in the country.

Enhanced Communication

Live Voicemail Transcription: This feature allows users to view a live transcription of incoming voicemail messages, even before answering the call.

Live Caller ID: Displays the caller's information before answering a call.

Smart Call History Search: Improved search functionality for call history.

Phone Keypad Search: Allows users to search for contacts directly from the keypad.

Enhanced Dialing Experience: Simplified and more intuitive dialling interface.

Expanded Language Support

Lock Screen Clock Customisation: Users can customise the lock screen clock widget with numerals from 12 Indian languages, including Arabic, Arabic Indic, Devanagari, Bangla, Gujarati, Gurmukhi, Meitei, Odia, Ol Chiki, Kannada, Malayalam, and Telugu.

Multilingual Keyboard: Supports phonetic typing with Latin characters in English and up to two additional Indian languages (English, Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu). The keyboard automatically switches scripts based on previous conversations.

Alphabetical Keyboard Layouts: Introduces alphabetical keyboard layouts for 11 Indian languages: Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.

Language Search: Supports search in Assamese, Bangla, Devanagari, and Gujarati, allowing users to find words using familiar spellings even with multiple variants.

Translate App with Hindi: Adds Hindi to the Translate app, Safari browser, and native apps like Notes.

Multilingual Siri: iPhone's virtual assistant Siri now supports nine Indian languages: Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu.

Improved User Experience

Besides communication and language features, iOS 18 introduces several enhancements that improve the user experience for all iPhone users, including:

Customisable Home Screen and Control Panel: Greater flexibility in personalising the interface.

Updated Photos App: New features and editing tools.

New Passwords App: Improved password management and security.

iPhone Mirroring on Macs: Seamlessly mirror and control your iPhone from a Mac computer.

Apple's commitment to the Indian market is evident in the extensive range of India-focused features introduced with iOS 18. These updates make iPhones more accessible, versatile, and user-friendly for Indian users.