Apple's iOS 18 update will reportedly enable real-time audio transcription and summarization on supported iPhones.
This information comes to us courtesy of AppleInsider, which reports that Apple has been working on AI-powered summarization and enhanced audio transcription for several of its next-gen operating systems, according to people familiar with the matter. These new features are expected to offer significant improvements in efficiency for several of the iPhone’s staple apps, including Notes and Voice Memos.
It seems the update will change the Voice Memo app's appearance, with the transcriptions occupying the central area of the existing window, replacing the current graphical representation of recorded audio. Pre-release versions of both Voice Notes and Notes allegedly feature a dedicated transcription bubble which, when tapped, will display a transcription of audio recorded with the app.
This potential new feature will help benefit many people, especially those who record a lot for work or study. Being able to record meetings, lectures or other conversations is already a handy iPhone ability, but being able to easily see the transcription and summaries of these recordings would be even better.
These improvements will apparently come in the form of updates for the applicable apps around the same time as iOS 18, which we expect to be fully announced at WWDC 2024 in June. It appears Apple is not keeping this just for its phones, as the same updates will also be available in macOS 15 and iPadOS 18.
iOS 18 is looking to be one of the biggest updates we've seen in Apple’s history, with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman stating as much. We have heard numerous rumors and statements regarding the update, such as a much improved Siri, as well as indications that Apple is in conversation with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT-powered features to its devices. For more information on the news and rumors about Apple’s next update check out our iOS 18 hub, which we update regularly.
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