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9 Hidden iOS 18 Options and Settings You Undoubtedly Need to Know About

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Apple is releasing iOS 18 for everybody at this time, and if you have not had the chance to check out the software program through the developer and public beta part, that is your first likelihood to get the most recent cell software program replace in your iPhone.

The most recent providing from Apple brings large modifications to the iPhone, together with extra customization to the lock and home screen, new features to the text messages, a devoted app for passwords and a totally redesigned picture album. 

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That is solely what’s on the floor, although.

As at all times, Apple makes a giant deal of some options, and never a lot about others. And yearly, we undergo the most recent iOS and search for any hidden options that are not solely hidden, however that can also and can have an effect on how we use our iPhones every single day. In case you’re operating iOS 18, these are a number of of the hidden options and settings that Apple did not actually speak about, however that you must positively know. 

Learn extra: iPhone 16: What We Know About the Release Date, Leaks and More

For extra, take a look at our iOS 18 beta cheat sheet, in addition to why you may not want to update to iOS 18 beta quite yet.

Do not missThe iOS 18 Public Beta Is Here: How to Install Now

Restart your iPhone from the brand new management heart

You do not have to press any bodily buttons to restart your iPhone if you happen to’re operating iOS 18. The redesigned management heart options all of the traditional controls you are used to, like brightness, quantity, orientation, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, however there are a number of new controls, together with one to restart your iPhone.

All it’s essential to do is swipe down from the top-right of your iPhone and press and maintain down on the brand new energy button within the top-right of the management heart. You possibly can’t simply faucet it although, it’s important to maintain it down for a second or so, after which the slider to energy off your iPhone will seem. 

To show your iPhone again on, you may nonetheless have to press and maintain the bodily facet button.

control center in iOS 18

On iOS 17 and earlier, the one solution to restart your iPhone is to press and maintain both quantity button and the facet button.

Nelson Aguilar/CNET

Use a QR code to share your Wi-Fi password

There are a number of methods you may share a Wi-Fi community and password with folks through your iPhone, and there is a new solution to do it on iOS 18. Utilizing a QR code fills in a number of gaps for methods to shortly share your Wi-Fi data:

  • Share with a number of folks directly. As an alternative of individually sending out your Wi-Fi password, you may have everybody scan the QR code out of your cellphone.
  • Share with somebody not saved as your contact. Close by share for Wi-Fi does not work except that individual is in your contacts.
  • Share with somebody that has Android. Close by share and AirDrop do not work with Android gadgets.

So if you happen to meet any of these situations and you do not need to textual content the Wi-Fi password to them, you should utilize the QR code. Go to the brand new Passwords app, go to the Wi-Fi part, faucet on the community you need to share after which hit Present Community QR Code. If the opposite individual scans the QR code with their digicam, they will be related to the Wi-Fi community. 

QR code for Wi-Fi

This solely works for Wi-Fi passwords, not common passwords.

Nelson Aguilar/CNET

Alter the beam width of your flashlight

The flashlight on the iPhone is getting a giant improve. Whilst you’ve lengthy been capable of change the depth of the flashlight, on iOS 18 now you can additionally alter the beam width of the sunshine, so long as you’ve gotten a suitable mannequin. You possibly can go large, to cowl extra space with much less gentle, or go slender, to make use of extra intense gentle over much less space, and in all places in between. It is a enjoyable characteristic to mess around with for lighting folks for photographs.

To make use of the brand new characteristic, flip in your flashlight (use the lock display or management heart), and a brand new consumer interface will seem within the dynamic island. You possibly can change the sunshine depth by swiping up and down, however to alter the beam width, you may have to swipe left and proper. In case you faucet wherever within the dynamic island, you may flip the flashlight on and off.

flashlight in dynamic island on iOS 18

A large flashlight beam (left) and a slender beam (proper).

Nelson Aguilar/CNET

Observe: This characteristic solely works on iPhone fashions with the dynamic island, together with the ‌iPhone 14‌ Professional, ‌iPhone 14‌ Professional Max, ‌iPhone 15‌, ‌iPhone 15‌ Plus, ‌iPhone 15 Professional‌ and ‌iPhone 15 Professional‌ Max.

Transcribe Voice Memos and make them searchable

The Voice Memos app is extremely handy for capturing concepts or track snippets, however they’ve at all times been obfuscated. You can provide them a descriptive title, however that does not assist if you need to discover that one memo you recorded that incorporates the phrase “porcupine.” In iOS 18, although, the app can create transcriptions of your voice memos and seek for phrases that had been beforehand obtainable solely as audio waveforms.

Within the Voice Memos app, faucet considered one of your memos to disclose its controls after which faucet the Edit Recording button, which seems to be like a waveform. Or, faucet the three-dots button to the precise of a memo and select Edit Recording.

Subsequent, faucet the Transcribe button to create the transcription (or view the textual content if it is already been transcribed). Faucet Completed.

Two iPhone screenshots of editing a recording in the Voice Memos app. At left is the waveform of the recording and a Transcribe button highlighted in red. At right is the generated text of the audio.

Take an present voice memo (left) and create a transcript of the recording (proper).

Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET

Now, if you use the Search area, the app seems to be by means of the transcripts along with the titles for outcomes. The textual content can also be obtainable all through iOS – if you carry out a search from the house display, you may see Voice Memos as a class with the memos that embody the search time period (it’s possible you’ll have to faucet Present Extra Outcomes to disclose it).

Two iPhone screenshots of the Voice Memos app. At left is a search for the term "porcupine" showing one result. At right is the opened result showing the transcript.

With transcripts made, voice memos are extra simply searchable.

Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET

Conceal app labels for a cleaner residence display

Is your own home display feeling slightly too cluttered? If that’s the case, this new characteristic may assist. Now with iOS 18, you may eliminate app labels, or the names of the apps that you simply see beneath every app icon on your own home display. In case you can acknowledge an app from simply the icon, who wants the label?

On your own home display, press and maintain down on any clean area, till you enter jiggle mode, after which hit Edit > Customise. A menu will seem on the backside of the display; select the Giant possibility, which can make your app icons barely bigger and take away the app labels.

Removing app labels on iOS 18

This will even take away the app labels from the folders within the App Library.

Nelson Aguilar/CNET

Change an app to a widget with out leaving the house display

Not each iOS app has a widget on your residence display, but when it does, you needn’t dig by means of the widget edit web page to search out it. In case you’re operating iOS 18, and there is an app that you simply need to flip right into a widget, you are able to do so in a short time proper from your own home display.

On a supported app, press and maintain down on the icon on your own home display to deliver up the fast actions menu. If the app has a widget, you may see an app icon subsequent to a wide range of widget icons (as much as three). Faucet on any of the widget icons to alter the app to a widget. If you wish to return from the widget to the app, go to the fast motion menu and hit the app icon on the left.

Turning an app to a widget on iOS 18

This solely works for apps which have widgets on iOS.

Nelson Aguilar/CNET

Secretly determine songs utilizing the Motion Button

No lie, it is satisfying when somebody asks, “What track is that this?” to have the ability to activate Music Recognition on the iPhone and get a solution shortly. However to get the reply means very noticeably asking Siri to run Shazam or activating Music Recognition in control center. Would not it’s enjoyable to let your pals assume you have been blessed with an encyclopedic data of pop music?

In iOS 18, you may come shut utilizing the Motion Button (presently obtainable simply on iPhone 15 Professional fashions). Go to Settings > Motion Button and swipe by means of the choices till Acknowledge Music is chosen.

Three iPhone screenshots. At left is the Action Button setting with Recognize Music selected. The other two are the iPhone home screen showing Shazam listening and identifying a song in the dynamic island.

Assign the Acknowledge Music characteristic to the Motion Button after which determine songs by simply holding the button.

Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET

To make it work, simply press and maintain the Motion Button for a few seconds. Shazam seems within the dynamic island to take heed to what’s enjoying and identifies the track. In case you’re sneaky about activating Shazam and peeking at your cellphone, nobody must know you bought some assist from a supercomputer within the cloud.

Discover photographs with handwriting and illustrations within the Pictures app

So much is altering within the Pictures app in iOS 18, from the way in which issues are organized to the flexibility to make use of generative AI to remove objects in photographs (coming next month). Apple has additionally tucked a number of surprises into the app that will help you type by means of your library.

Scroll down previous the principle library itself to view classes reminiscent of Individuals and Pets and Recollections till you attain Utilities. Faucet it to view the complete record – however observe {that a} new characteristic of this interface is the flexibility to swipe left to view further panels. Previous to iOS 18, Utilities included choices to view hidden, lately deleted and duplicate photographs.

Now, it contains many extra choices. Faucet Handwriting to view photographs with handwriting in them. On the lookout for photographs which can be illustrations and never images? Faucet Illustrations (although in our testing this appears to seize a whole lot of screenshots, too).

Two iPhone screenshots of the Photos app. At left is the list of Utilities options with Handwriting marked with a red box. At right are two images that include handwriting, including a paper bag that reads "Jeff Coleslaw".

View photographs that comprise handwriting in your Pictures library in iOS 18.

Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET

Share a selected part of a podcast

Did the hosts of your favourite podcast say one thing particularly humorous or considerate that you simply need to share with somebody? Within the Podcasts app in iOS 18, you may ship an episode to a pal with the playback superior to that second — however the functionality is not straightforward to search out.

Faucet the Now Taking part in bar within the app on the backside of the display to view the playback controls and pause the episode. Use the progress bar to return to the beginning of the part you need to share.

Subsequent, faucet the Extra (…) button and select Share Episode. Within the sharing choices that seem, faucet From Begin beneath the episode title, after which choose From [the current time]. Faucet Completed.

Two iPhone screenshots showing the Podcasts app. At left is a playing podcast with the Now Playing bar highlighted with a red box. At right are the playback controls with the More menu visible and Share Episode highlighted with a red box.

Begin by sharing the episode itself.

Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET

Lastly, select the strategy of sharing, reminiscent of through Messages or Mail. When the recipient receives the shared episode and opens it within the Podcasts app, they will see the choice to Play from [the time].

Two iPhone screenshots showing the Podcasts app. At left is the share options with the From Start button highlighted by a red box. At right is the specific time to be shared, "From 32:56".

Specify that the shared episode begins on the time you selected.

Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET



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