Tech giant Apple on Monday released the next version of its operating system, iOS 18, which is a free download and offers iPhone users around the world new ways to personalise their devices.

It allows new ways to personalise their iPhone with deeper customisation to the Home Screen and Control Center; the biggest-ever redesign to Photos, making it even easier to find and relive special moments; and major enhancements to Messages and Mail.

Starting next month, iOS 18 will introduce Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system that combines the power of generative models with personal context to deliver intelligence that is incredibly useful and relevant while protecting users’ privacy and security, Apple said in a statement.

“In iOS 18, users can customise their Home Screen in exciting new ways by placing app icons and widgets to frame the wallpaper or create the ideal layout on each page,” the company informed.

Users can also choose how the app icons and widgets are presented — light, dark, or with a coloured tint — or make app icons appear larger for a new streamlined look.

They can also access their favourite controls from the Action button, and for the first time, they can change the controls on the Lock Screen or remove them entirely.

“The biggest-ever update to Photos makes it easier to find and relive special moments. The beautiful, simplified layout puts the library into a unified yet familiar view. New collections like Recent Days, People and Pets, and Trips automatically keep the library organised with on-device intelligence,” according to the company.

In Messages, formatting options like bold, italic, underline, and strikethrough let users better convey tone; all-new text effects bring words, phrases, and sentences to life; emoji and sticker Tapbacks give users endless ways to react in a conversation; and users can compose an iMessage to send later.

For times when cellular and Wi-Fi connections aren’t available, Messages via satellite connects users to a satellite in space right from the Messages app to send and receive texts, emoji, and Tapbacks over iMessage and SMS.

The Phone app helps users stay organised with the ability to record and transcribe live calls, making it easier to recall important details later.

Available later this year, categorisation in Mail organises messages to help users stay on top of their inbox.

iOS 18 is a free software update that is available starting today for iPhone Xs and later.