Password App, iPad Calculator, Scheduled Text Messages: What’s Coming Soon to Your Apple Devices

But more devices will benefit from a wide range of features, since the rest of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 will work with devices that came out as long ago as 2018. Here are 10 of our favorite updates coming this fall.

Emoji tapbacks in Messages 

You know those six reactions—thumbs up, thumbs down, HAHA, etc.—that appear when you long-press a message in the Messages app? Apple calls those “tapbacks.” If you’re getting bored with those presets, you’re in luck: Apple is letting the full emoji library loose—plus any Genmojis you create using that new AI feature. Good luck deciding which crying emoji to use.

Scheduling messages to send later 

We all know the drill. You say you’re going to respond to a text later because the timing isn’t right. Then you completely forget. Similar to schedule-send in email, you’ll now be able to tap out a message then set it to send at a later time in the Messages app. This only works with iMessage, so only with fellow Apple users. Your Android friends will still either hear from you right away—or not at all.

The iPad gets a Calculator app  

Seriously! In the iPad’s 12-year history, Apple’s tablet has never had a built-in Calculator app. Now the impossible becomes possible. Not only is there a full calculator in iPadOS 18, but even cooler is Math Notes, which will let you write out equations with an Apple Pencil. As you scrawl, it will interpret your notation and fills in the answers. As you change the numbers and formulas, it will adjust the results. It will even make charts.

A Passwords app and Contacts protection

For years, Apple buried its password manager deep in Settings. Now, it’s giving Passwords its very own app, where you can securely store credentials for online accounts, Wi-Fi networks and more. The app is protected by Face ID and Touch ID. If those fail, it will require your device passcode. (As we’ve reported before, that can be a problem if someone has your device and passcode, so be sure to activate Stolen Device Protection.) 

In other security news, you no longer have to share your entire address book with an app that wants your contacts. You can select specific people.

Sending texts via satellite

Two years ago, Apple built satellite connectivity into its newest phones, letting people contact emergency services when out of cellular range. With this fall’s update, owners of the iPhone 14 or newer models will also be able to exchange iMessage and SMS texts with contacts. The Messages app will automatically prompt you to connect to the nearest satellite. You’ll be able to send and receive texts, emojis and tapbacks. And even bouncing around in space, those iMessages (where you see blue bubbles) will be end-to-end encrypted.

Hiking trails in the Maps app

The biggest Apple Maps update this year includes hiking maps, removing the need for a third-party app in some places. You’ll get thousands of preset routes—currently just within U.S. national parks—and will be able to create your own custom walking routes. They’ll be available offline, useful when you’re rambling into spotty cellular coverage areas. You’ll be able to save your favorite hikes and locations in Apple’s new Places Library, and include notes about each.

 

Customizing home screen and Control Center

With iOS and iPadOS 18, app icons no longer stay stuck in that traditional top-to-bottom, left-to-right grid pattern. You’ll be able to move them where you like on the screen to, for instance, frame the face of your kid in a wallpaper photo. You’ll also be able to change the color of app icons. Innovation!

Swiping down from the top right corner will still bring up your Control Center for quick access to volume and other buttons. With iOS 18, if you keep scrolling, you’ll get other Control Center screens. You will be able to customize those screens and add controls from other developers. And you no longer have to be that person who accidentally has their flashlight on in their pocket! You’ll be able to change those lock-screen shortcuts too.

 

Locking and hiding apps

Embarrassed about that app to track your love for Krispy Kreme? Now you’ll be able to hide it. It puts the app’s icon in a hidden folder that’s locked. And if you hand your device to someone else—say, your daughter—to let her play a game, you’ll be able to lock sensitive apps like your bank so she can’t open them. When you tap a locked app, you’ll be required to authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode. The app won’t make appearances in searches, notifications or other interactions.

 

An iPad fix for bad handwriting

iPadOS 18 can learn your handwriting when you’re using an Apple Pencil in the Notes app. But maybe you, like us, have barely legible chicken-scratch. With an Apple Pencil and higher-end iPads—iPad Pro models running M processors or other iPads with the A14 and newer chips—Smart Script will help. The iPad will automatically clean up your penmanship but maintain your distinctive look. Scribbling over a word deletes it, while pressing and holding can create a space to write more. The tool also checks your spelling, and you can paste typed text—all added in your handwriting. 

A new look for the Photos app

Not naming names but some of us happen to have 258,974 photos stored in our iCloud accounts. (Gulp!) Apple’s redesigned Photos app will aim to automatically organize those images by theme so you don’t have to manually put them into albums. When opening the app, you’ll see the normal grid of photos. Swiping up will present new sections like Recent Days and People & Pets. You’ll also be able to see groups of people, instead of just individuals, and you can pin collections, such as selfies, to get to them quickly.

 

Write to Shara Tibken at shara.tibken@wsj.com and Joanna Stern at joanna.stern@wsj.com