Previously, Apple’s Game Center offered features like cloud-synced saves and avatars but fell short on immediate, in-game functionalities. In contrast, Android devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S24 and OnePlus 12 sport dedicated game modes that silence notifications and boost performance for graphics-intensive mobile games.
Announced at WWDC 2024—don’t miss our comprehensive WWDC 2024 live blog for all the latest updates—Game Mode in iOS 18 mimics these Android features by reducing background activity to allocate more processing power to games.
Even though the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max already benefit from the powerful A17 Pro chip, Game Mode will harness additional power from the silicon to run demanding games, such as the forthcoming iOS version of Death Stranding.
This feature also promises to optimize the gaming performance of older iPhones that may be struggling with iOS 17.
Apple’s endeavor aligns seamlessly with its ongoing efforts to expand Apple Arcade and port high-demand console games to its mobile ecosystem. Complement this with the iPhone’s exceptional controller support—particularly with the PS5 DualSense controller—and iOS emerges as a formidable platform for serious gaming.
Enhanced Audio for Gaming
The gaming enhancements in iOS extend to audio as well, with Personalized Spatial Audio slated for the AirPods 3, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max. This feature includes dynamic head tracking, ensuring positional sound remains consistent despite head movement.
Utilizing AirPods Pro and AirPods Max in tandem with Game Mode delivers Apple’s lowest-latency wireless audio to date, plus voice communication with 16-bit, 48kHz audio quality.
It’s worth noting that developers will need to incorporate advanced sound design into their games using an Apple API to fully leverage these audio upgrades.
Prepare for an elevated gaming experience on iOS 18, bringing features once exclusive to Android right to your iPhone.
