September 17, 2024, 8:22 am | Read time: 7 minutes

iOS 18 is already in development. As usual, the final version of the update will be released with the new iPhones in the fall. However, users can already get an insight into the new features.

Update: Public beta of iOS 18 available

The first beta version of iOS 18 for developers was available directly after WWDC 2024. Beta 2 then followed at the end of June. This mainly contained minor bug fixes but little that was new, especially for EU users. However, developers outside the EU were able to take a first look at RCS and iPhone mirroring. This allows users to control their iPhone via a linked Mac.

On July 8, iOS 18 beta 3 was released with several small innovations:

• In the Photos app, the selection area at the top is permanently visible. This saves you from having to swipe the edges of the display in order to select images using the multi-selection function.
• iOS 18 has the option of a dynamic background image that is based on the time of day.
• With iOS 18, users of the podcast app can send links that lead to a specific location.
• The control center of iOS 18 gets drop-down menus, which offer space for more options.

The public beta is now also available, and all users with a registered account can install it. It contains all the features that were released with the three developer betas.

iOS 18 with new control center and flexible app icons

Apple has significantly enhanced the customizability of the Control Center in iOS 18. Previously, the shortcuts only took up one page and were laid out in a rigid grid. Individual additional functions can only be added and removed via the iPhone settings. The revamped Control Center is more flexible, allowing users to arrange shortcuts in any order across multiple pages. Additionally, users no longer need to navigate through settings to make these changes. New widgets for music and smart home control are also part of the update.

Since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, Apple has insisted on the rigid app grid on the home screen. Since iOS 14, there have also been widgets and the app library, which can be used to hide individual apps. However, users did not have any real freedom to design the home screen as they wished. Apps could only be arranged in order from top to bottom on each side of the home screen. It was not possible to leave gaps or place apps at the bottom of the screen.

Apple has now broken up the rigid home screen in iOS 18 and even allows users to customize the color of app icons. This allows them to match apps to the screen background or choose any accent color. A new dark mode also falls into the same category. Up to now, switching to dark mode has only changed a few areas on the home screen, such as the dock border. With iOS 18, however, the app icons will also be shaded.

Lock or hide apps

Until now, it was only possible to lock certain apps in a roundabout way. With iOS 18, users can finally lock individual apps using Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode. But that’s not all: Apple even allows you to hide apps on the home screen. A new category with hidden apps then appears in the app library on the last page of the home screen.

AI functions are coming to iOS 18

iOS 18 is getting numerous AI-based functions, together with Apple Intelligence. In addition to Siri, a number of apps will also receive additional capabilities to help users.

New Photos app

The Photos app is getting the biggest redesign in iPhone history with iOS 18. Instead of tabs, there is a unified home page where everything can be seen at a glance. A directly accessible filter can filter the gallery according to certain image types or hide screenshots, for example.

Below the photo view is a “smart area” that creates collections based on topics such as time, people, favorites, and trips. The app automatically bundles the latter and filters out irrelevant images.

iOS 18 with gaming mode for the iPhone

Macs with Apple Silicon have already had a gaming mode for some time, which reduces background activity to enable longer gaming sessions. The feature is also coming to the iPhone with iOS 18 and, among other things, reduces the latency for Bluetooth controllers and headphones such as AirPods to increase response time.

Voice and math notes

Although the iPhone has its own voice memo app ex works, there was no direct connection to notes. With iOS 18, Apple makes it possible to record individual notes. This allows users to save voice memos together with other information, such as text and images. One prominent example is lectures, which students can record as voice memos and add further context and presentation slides.

Voice notes are designed to mirror the voice memo app in both design and functionality. The function is not only available for iOS 18 but also for macOS Sequoia and iPadOS.

Another innovation in the Notes app is a feature that Apple refers to internally as “Math Notes.” Similar to voice notes, calculator functions are to be integrated directly into notes. This would make it possible to write down complex mathematical equations and solve them with the calculator.

Mail app with categorization

The Mail app in iOS 18 can automatically divide incoming emails into categories. Gmail and other email programs have long used tags to organize and bundle emails for greater clarity.

Finally, a new messaging app in iOS 18

iMessage, the messaging app integrated into iOS, only offers its full functionality for Apple users. When communicating with an Android smartphone, the app falls back to the age-old standard SMS. This means no encrypted communication, no sending of high-resolution images and videos, and no read confirmation.

Apple has announced that it will implement the RCS (Rich Communication Services) standard for its messaging app by the end of 2024. One of the reasons for this is pressure from stricter requirements for so-called internet “gatekeepers.” Google already integrated RCS into its messaging apps years ago and has been urging Apple to do the same ever since.

Thanks to RCS, Android and iOS users can finally communicate with each other without restrictions. In addition to write indicators, read receipts, group chats and audio messages, it is also possible to send messages via Wi-Fi. Other functions such as emoji reactions are also being planned.

iMessage will also receive other functions apart from RCS. More effects are available that users can send as reactions. In addition, iMessage will finally have the option to schedule messages and send them later.

Video recording without sound interruption

Anyone who likes to listen to music but also wants to record a video spontaneously has had to live with the interruption of audio playback until now. Although there is already a solution in photo mode, this only produces results of inferior quality.

Apple has now addressed this problem in a new beta for iOS 18. There is a new setting option that allows users to easily maintain continuous audio output during a video. This means that nothing stands in the way of uninterrupted music enjoyment while recording clips at the same time.

However, if you want to use the music via the device speaker directly for what you are filming, you will have to make do with sound quality in mono instead of stereo.

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When is iOS 18 coming to the iPhone?

For iOS 18, Apple is probably sticking to its previous schedule, which we know from previous iOS versions. Apple officially unveiled its new operating system at WWDC 2024 in June. Following this announcement, the company also released the first beta versions for registered testers. So far, these versions are still restricted to developers. However, the first iOS 18 beta for users should be available soon.