Apple unveiled iOS 18 at its Worldwide Developers Conference 2024 keynote occasion in June, and the tech large launched the sixth developer beta of the software program on Aug. 12, a few week after the discharge of the third public beta of the software program. The beta working system brings numerous new options to the iPhones of builders and beta testers, like extra methods to customize your home screen, updates to the Messages app and an up to date Siri with Apple Intelligence. Apple mentioned on-line that the following working system will likely be out there to most of the people this fall.
Learn extra: Everything You Need to Know About iOS 18’s Public Betas
Many individuals will not get iOS 18 till later this 12 months, builders and beta testers can download the iOS 18 betas now. I like to recommend downloading a beta on one thing aside from your major system. Since this is not the ultimate model of iOS 18, these options could be buggy and battery life could also be brief, and it is best to maintain these troubles on a secondary system. I’ve downloaded the iOS 18 betas onto my iPhone XR to maintain any points away from my iPhone 14 Professional.
Watch this: iOS 18 Brings New Tapback Options and Textual content Over Satellite tv for pc
This is what we find out about all the brand new options and enhancements iOS 18 might deliver to your iPhone this fall.
Customizable dwelling and lock screens
You have been in a position to customise your iPhone’s dwelling and lock screens with widgets and completely different backgrounds, iOS 18 will allow you to customize your home screen’s apps and layout, in addition to your telephone’s lock screen functions.
Throughout WWDC, Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vp of software program engineering, confirmed how iOS 18 helps you to organize your iPhone’s apps and widgets on your private home display screen nonetheless you need. Beforehand, these icons would fill your private home display screen from prime to backside, generally obstructing backgrounds you may like. However iOS 18 ought to allow you to organize your icons round your background or in any manner you need — one thing Android has offered for many years.
You can even simply customise the looks of your app’s icons. You can provide your icons a darkish mode filter, or tint your icons to match your wallpaper.
Federighi additionally mentioned iOS 18 will allow you to swap out the digital camera and flashlight features in your iPhone’s lock display screen. That manner you are not by chance turning your iPhone’s flashlight on whereas placing it in your pocket — however you may open one other app as a substitute.
Up to date Management Heart
Apple additionally introduced that iOS 18 updates your iPhone’s Control Center. With the following working system, you’ll entry extra controls for issues, like no matter music you are listening to and particular apps. You can even change which apps you see, in addition to their measurement, so you have got faster entry to the buttons you utilize extra usually.
Messages will get an improve
Your iPhone’s Messages app will even get an replace with iOS 18. With the following working system, you’ll schedule messages to send later, react to messages with more Tapbacks and format messages and particular phrases in your messages with text effects. So if you wish to emphasize one thing in a textual content, you possibly can daring it, underline or use different results to get your level throughout.
The following OS will even deliver Messages via satellite to many iPhones. The characteristic works equally to Apple’s Emergency SOS via satellite feature launched on the iPhone 14 and 15 series. Emergency SOS is for making an emergency name even when you do not have a sign, however Messages by way of satellite tv for pc will allow you to ship a message to anybody, even with no sign. So you’ll message your partner or mother and father to allow them to know the way your tenting journey goes.
Apple additionally briefly mentioned it is bringing RCS — wealthy communication help — to Messages.
Learn extra: Messages via Satellite Is iOS 18’s Most Underrated Feature
Lock and conceal sure apps
The Hidden folder all the time exhibits shadows of a number of apps, even when there’s only one app within the folder.
Letting somebody borrow your iPhone could be a nerve-wracking expertise, particularly if you do not need them to see or entry sure apps. iOS 18 will permit you to lock and hide apps.
When you lock an app, it’ll then require your Face ID or passcode to unlock and entry it. When you simply don’t need somebody to know you have got a sure app in your iPhone, you possibly can stash it in a Hidden apps folder in your App Library. That is just like removing apps from your home screen without deleting them out of your iPhone, but it surely arranges all of your hidden apps in a single place.
Redesigned Photographs app
It may be enjoyable to take a look at reminiscences in your Photographs app, however navigating via the app could be difficult in case you take numerous photographs. So Apple introduced iOS 18 will redesign your iPhone’s Photos app.
The redesign ought to make it simpler to seek out particular photographs by organizing your photographs in additional methods, like month and 12 months. Photographs will even be organized by theme, so in case you’re searching for photographs from a visit, it’s best to have the ability to discover them quicker.
The up to date Photographs app in iOS 18 will even allow you to filter out receipts and screenshots so they do not clog up your Library.
There was additionally a carousel characteristic in early iOS 18 beta variations of the Photographs app, however this characteristic was eliminated within the third public beta.
Learn extra: Apple Photos Redesign Will Help You Find That Specific iPhone Image
New Digicam setting
When Apple launched the second public beta of iOS 18, it launched a brand new setting for the Digicam app to the iPhones of builders and beta testers. The brand new setting known as Controls Menu. To seek out it, go to Settings > Digicam > Protect Settings.
“Protect the beforehand used digital camera instrument when increasing the controls menu, quite than displaying the record of digital camera instruments,” the setting’s description reads.
New password supervisor app
Apple is popping its password keychain characteristic right into a full-blown app known as Passwords. In keeping with Apple, Passwords safely shops all of your credentials in a single place. It might additionally sync your passwords throughout your Apple gadgets. That manner in case you change your Netflix password on one system however not on one other, the password will observe you so you do not overlook it.
Learn extra: Apple’s New Password Manager App Will Sync Across Devices and Platforms
Apple Intelligence for Siri and extra — on sure iPhones
Apple introduced that it is rolling out Apple Intelligence, its spin on generative AI, in iOS 18. However on Apple’s web site, the tech large mentioned these enhancements will likely be available only on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max for now.
Apple launched the first developer beta of iOS 18.1 on Monday alongside the second public beta of iOS 18. The iOS 18.1 developer beta brings some Apple Intelligence options to the iPhone’s builders.
Apple Intelligence will deliver enhancements to Siri to make the assistant extra succesful and useful, it’ll permit you to create new photos known as Genmojis and it’ll deliver new writing instruments and capabilities to these iPhones.
Learn extra: iOS 18 Might Not Bring Apple Intelligence to Your iPhone
AirPods and hands-free Siri interactions
With iOS 18, in case you’re carrying the second era of AirPods Professional, you’ll interact with Siri by nodding or shaking your head. So if you’ll want to be quiet as a result of the newborn is sleeping or your accomplice is on an necessary telephone name, you possibly can preserve Siri working with out saying a phrase.
Watch this: You may Quickly Be Capable of Management AirPods by Nodding
New Gestures Will Improve the Means You Work together with Apple Units
Notes app upgrades
Apple’s iOS 18 will enhance your Notes app. Notes will get dwell audio transcripts, collapsible sections to maintain the app organized and the flexibility to spotlight sure phrases. You may additionally have the ability to clear up mathematical issues within the app whilst you sort.
These upgrades are just like the Notes app upgrades Apple introduced for iPadOS 18.
Learn extra: Apple’s iPadOS 18 Gets New Controls, Handwriting Features and Math Notes
Sport Mode
In keeping with Facts and Factors, cellular gaming as an trade is predicted to develop by over 13% by 2030. And Apple appears to acknowledge that with the introduction of Sport Mode in iOS 18.
Sport Mode will reduce background actions in your iPhone to enhance your recreation’s efficiency. It would even have improved responsiveness with AirPods and wi-fi gaming controllers, Apple says.
iPhone Mirroring
With iOS 18, iPhone customers with a Mac will have the ability to entry their iPhone remotely from their Mac. Apple is asking this characteristic iPhone Mirroring, and it’ll work together with the upcoming MacOS Sequoia. So as a substitute of sending a file out of your iPhone to your Mac, you’ll simply entry the file proper in your Mac with none further steps in between.
Learn extra: How Apple Says iPhone Mirroring Will Work
SharePlay display screen sharing
SharePlay was launched with iOS 15 in 2021 and lets Apple customers share their display screen with different folks by way of FaceTime. And iOS 18 is giving SharePlay an improve.
“With enhanced display screen sharing capabilities, you possibly can draw on somebody’s display screen to allow them to see what they will do on theirs, or management their display screen and take actions your self,” Apple wrote on-line.
Extra methods to arrange Mail
Apple mentioned that with iOS 18, your iPhone’s Mail app will manage your emails higher. Your app could have new classes for issues like receipts, newsletters and extra. That manner you do not have to dig via your emails and discover an invite to a celebration you forgot to answer.
Faucet to Money
With iOS 18, it is going to be simpler to ship money to your family and friends with Faucet to Money. With this new characteristic, you possibly can ship Apple Money on to others by bringing your iPhones shut collectively, just like how one can rapidly AirDrop a photograph or message to somebody, or NameDrop your contact info to others, by bringing your iPhones shut collectively.
Updates coming to Apple Pockets
Talking of money, your Pockets app is getting an improve in iOS 18, too. Within the app, you’ll view your rewards or factors stability, and you’ll redeem these factors with Apple Pay on-line or in one in every of your apps. The app will even allow you to entry any installment financing choices your financial institution may provide.
Apple can also be bringing new options to your occasion tickets in Pockets. Apple wrote on-line that the brand new options embody, “an occasion information combining useful details about the venue with suggestions from Apple apps.”
With the second developer beta of iOS 18, Pockets additionally now helps you to simply add a chipped debit or bank card to the app. Now, in case you go into Pockets, faucet the plus signal within the prime proper nook, faucet Debit or Credit score Card, then faucet Proceed, Pockets will ask you to deliver the chipped card close to your iPhone so as to add that card. In case your card would not have a chip although, you possibly can faucet Enter Card Particulars Manually throughout the underside of the display screen.
Safari will get highlights, a redesigned Reader and extra
With iOS 18, your iPhone’s Safari app will detect necessary info on a web page and spotlight it for you. For instance, instructions and fast hyperlinks to folks and flicks ought to be highlighted and simply findable.
Reader will even present a desk of contents and summaries of articles in Safari.
Safari additionally will get a brand new characteristic known as Distraction Control within the third public beta of iOS 18. This makes it straightforward to dam banners, some pop-ups and extra on web sites you go to ceaselessly.
Learn extra: Safari’s Find on Page Function Has a New Home in iOS 18
Topographic maps in Maps
When Apple launched iOS 17 in 2023, it introduced offline maps to your iPhones Maps app. With iOS 18, Apple mentioned your iPhone’s Maps app will get topographical info, too. Maps will even get detailed mountain climbing path info, together with routes from over 50 US nationwide parks, so you possibly can plan your subsequent hike.
Journal app enhancements
Apple additionally introduced that iOS 18 will deliver some modifications to your iPhone’s Journal app. As soon as upgraded, the app will allow you to log your way of thinking, in addition to provide help to observe your targets. It would additionally provide you with sure stats, like writing streaks. You may additionally have the ability to search inside Journal for earlier entries so yow will discover older ideas and extra.
Watch this: iOS 18 Arms-On: Exploring the Large Design Adjustments
These are a number of of the brand new options some builders and beta testers will see within the first iOS 18 public beta. That does not imply these are the one options coming to the following iOS replace or that these modifications will stick when iOS 18 is launched to the general public. As of now, Apple has solely mentioned it’ll launch iOS 18 this fall.
For extra on iOS 18, this is what to find out about Apple Intelligence in the first iOS 18.1 developer beta. You can even take a look at our iOS 18 cheat sheet.
