Apple announced new features for the upcoming iOS 18, and some are worried that it will allow partners to cheat easily.
Users will be allowed to lock and hide apps on the home screen of iPhones after a new update debuts in the US this fall, the company announced after the Worldwide Developers Conference at Apple Park in California on Monday.
The company indicated that the feature is intended to help people keep their banking apps private and prevent children from accessing certain apps like Amazon to make wild and unsupervised purchases.
“Users can now lock apps, and for added privacy, they can hide apps, moving them to a locked and hidden app folder,” the company shared.
“When an app is locked or hidden, content like messages or emails in the app are hidden from search, notifications, and other places in the system.”
However, not everyone shares Apple’s vision, and some are concerned that it will allow significant people the opportunity to cheat.
It’s easy to hide apps on your iPhone by turning off the ability to search in Siri Suggestions or bury them inside folders, but a new feature in iOS 18 adds another layer of protection for those who choose not to.
However, the new feature of hidden apps allows users to hide app icons and names on the home screen and even pause notifications.
“Locked and hidden apps give users peace of mind that information they want to keep private, such as notifications and app content, won’t be accidentally exposed to others,” Apple said Monday.
“Users can now lock apps; and for added privacy, they can hide apps, moving them to a locked and hidden app folder.
However, creating a “Hidden applications” folder will show it on the home screen.
Apple users can also lock apps programmed into their phones, such as Mail, Messages, Notes, Calls, Photos, and Safari.
The app can only be set to open with Face ID.
The new feature immediately got an interesting reaction on X after Monday’s announcement.
“IOS 18 and the new iPhone will make this bird lie like mf … this is crazy. The relationship is dead,” said user X.
“I just know ios 18 will help people cheat,” wrote another.
“IOS 18 is trying to convert cheating Android guys to iPhones,” joked another.
Included in the new iOS 18 update, Apple also announced that users will be able to customize the home screen for the iPhone, which allows you to rearrange the icons as you wish – unlike the current grid system that the company has been using since then. The release of the first iPhone in 2007.
Users can also change the color of your app icon as per their wish.
The tech juggernaut also revealed that the update will include Apple Intelligence, a new AI-powered system that responds to prompts, creates new text and images, and solves problems for users.
Apple Intelligence will feature a Rewrite tool that users can use to help articulate difficult messages. The tool can be adjusted to sound friendly, professional, or concise depending on the user’s message.
“With OpenAI’s ChatGPT integrated into Siri and Pen, you’ll get more expertise when it’s most useful to you — no need to jump between tools,” the company points out.
For images, “Apple Intelligence enables exciting new ways to express yourself visually. Create fun, original images and new Genmoji that are truly personal to you.
“Turn rough sketches into related images that complement your notes with the Image Wand. And create custom memory movies based on the information you provide.”
