Backing this up, the backend code revealed on Apple’s servers by Nicolás Álvarez strongly indicates that iOS 18 will, in fact, bring a new Safari browsing assistant. Several months ago, this was independently confirmed by Aaron Pereis from MacRumors, but as of now, the details are few.
iOS 18 To Bring Revolutionary Features
Álvarez suggested that this browsing assistant, presumably cloud-based, could utilize the iCloud Private Relay infrastructure to send relevant information to Apple in a way that cloaks it in user privacy. Whether this function-centered iCloud-based feature would require an iCloud+ account is a wild guess. Furthermore, since then, Álvarez has suggested the iCloud Private Relay is not on and off in the first place with regard to this function.
The rumors that the new iOS would come with a browsing assistant in Safari are consistent with the suggestion that iOS 18 contains several new generative AI functions on an iPhone. The iPhone web browser has also been a topic of several rumors. Several iPhone web browsers already contain AI tools, such as Microsoft Edge’s Copilot, which is driven by GPT-4, and Arc Search, which arranges web page content for faster reading.
Additionally, the examination Álvarez has conducted has revealed the presence of an Encrypted Visual Search feature in Apple’s servers’ backend code; however, it is unclear what this feature entails. The find resonates with Steve Moser’s earlier findings, who found a Visual Search feature in the visionOS beta code designed for Apple’s Vision Pro headset. One such feature that may exist in the near future would be printing messages, as shown below.
Since this feature is not available on the iPhone, the only explanation is that Apple would not envisage such a development, indicating that. Alternatively, this code could apply to the iPhone’s existing function, such as Visual Look Up, which recognizes items in pictures and clips. The official revealing of iOS 18 and more possible new features in the WWDC keynote by Apple on June 10 assumes that more materials and insights will become available.
