iOS 18 with T9 Keyboard, Call Recording, and More Comes to Apple iPhones for the First Time
With the announcement of iOS 18, Apple declared that for the first time, an iPhone would feature T9 dialing. It reintroduces the more formerly-adored predictive text input stuff from back in the past—the one that was so dominant on feature phones—and the keypad gets the due attention with a critical focus on simplicity for those who still might prefer the numeric keypads.
The Return of T9 Dialing
What is T9 Dialing? T9, the abbreviation for “Text on nine keys,” was a massive thing in the early 2000s. One could type words by basically pressing the number keys corresponding to the letter they want, where each critical stands for more than one letter, and even furthering word prediction, as lame as limited as that might be, is the T9 software. For instance, the user just wanting to type ‘hello’ would press 4-3-5-5-6, and, based on these unintelligible examples of the pattern, T9 would guess as to what = the word was.
T9 Dialing in iOS 18
This is being added in iOS 18 to offer iPhone customers an alternative to the on-screen QWERTY. Apple did not create any phone with a physical, but that is just a reason enough why the iPhone did not come over it. However, plenty of Android phones to this very day pack T9 dialing into the lock series, and the very existence of this as an update from Apple in their most current version of software reminds us that pixel prudence might not have been the order of the day when crafting calling features into each company’s competing handsets.
How to Use T9 Search on iPhone Running iOS 18
To take the new T9 dialer for a spin, your iPhone must be running the developer-only version of iOS 18, Here is how to use the calling feature with the T9 dialer:
- Open the Phone app and navigate to the Keypad screen.
- Just start typing a contact’s name. For calling Anmol, simply type “26665,” and his contact details will appear at the top of the keypad.
- Tap any of the contact recommendations to get a preview of their complete phone number.
- If there are multiple contacts with listings that match pretty closely, the individual will click on the “more…” option below the suggested contact to find and telephone the contact of interest.
Call Recording and Transcription
Introduction of Call Recording Now, for the first time, iOS 18 will provide a live call recording and transcription feature in its Phone application. Driven by Apple Intelligence, this functionality will not be something that maybe every one of the iPhone models. Some imperative improvements come with the integration of call recording and transcription, changes that empower people with more agency over their phone communications. Additionally, this will come with an enhanced search bar for call history and easy switching between SIM cards for a more straightforward approach to dealing with calls and links in mobiles.
Other notable features in iOS 18
Personalization and the redesign of the Home Screen. iOS 18 is just the most feature-packed iOS update in Apple’s history. The update provides toggles for that extensive personalization, attaining the feature of properly placing applications and widgets on the Home Screen and giving a more tailored experience to the users.
Photos App Redesign and Passwords Manager App
Apple walked us through the “biggest” redesign of the Photos App, which gave the system a better interface and management in using this app. The new Passwords Manager app lets users manage passwords even more efficiently.
Introducing Apple Intelligence
Apple is also bringing AI, dubbed “Apple Intelligence,” in iOS 18, but this is to come with the launch of iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. It has been told that this AI system will be behind a lot of the intelligent capabilities coming in general with iOS 18.
So many features were announced in the ongoing keynote of Apple’s WWDC: iOS 18, macOS 15, and the new Apple Intelligence. But to many, the headline feature will be the arrival of the T9 Dialler, finally coming along with iOS 18, allowing you to make calls quickly and more conveniently.
Disclaimer
This feature is included in the beta version for developers. If you can’t wait to try it yourself, it is recommended that you wait two more weeks, which is when Apple tends to release the public beta for anyone to try on their phone. Some apps and features will not work immediately, so be prepared for some setbacks—Apple Shows Off iOS 18, Apple Intelligence, and More in WWDC 2024 Keynote.