Apple is releasing iOS 18 for everybody right now, and if you have not had the chance to check out the software program in the course of the developer and public beta part, that is your first likelihood to get the most recent cell software program replace in your iPhone.
The newest providing from Apple brings massive adjustments to the iPhone, together with extra customization to the lock and residential display screen, new options to the textual content messages, a devoted app for passwords and a totally redesigned picture album.
That’s solely what’s on the floor, although.
As all the time, Apple makes an enormous 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 day by day. If you are 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.
Read 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 it’s possible you’ll not wish to replace to iOS 18 beta fairly but.
Don’t miss: The iOS 18 Public Beta Is Here: How to Install Now
Restart your iPhone from the brand new management heart
You do not should press any bodily buttons to restart your iPhone in the event you’re operating iOS 18. The redesigned management heart options all of the basic 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 worthwhile 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 cannot simply faucet it although, you must maintain it down for a second or so, after which the slider to energy off your iPhone will seem.
To flip your iPhone again on, you will nonetheless have to press and maintain the bodily facet button.
On iOS 17 and earlier, the one approach to restart your iPhone is to press and maintain both quantity button and the facet button.
Use a QR code to share your Wi-Fi password
There are a number of methods you’ll be able to share a Wi-Fi community and password with individuals through your iPhone, and there is a new approach to do it on iOS 18. Using a QR code fills in a number of gaps for tactics to rapidly share your Wi-Fi info:
- Share with a number of individuals directly. Instead of individually sending out your Wi-Fi password, you’ll be able to have everybody scan the QR code out of your telephone.
- Share with somebody not saved as your contact. Nearby share for Wi-Fi would not work until that individual is in your contacts.
- Share with somebody that has Android. Nearby share and AirDrop do not work with Android gadgets.
So in the event you meet any of these situations and you do not wish to textual content the Wi-Fi password to them, you need to use the QR code. Go to the brand new Passwords app, go to the Wi-Fi part, faucet on the community you wish to share after which hit Show Network QR Code. If the opposite individual scans the QR code with their digital camera, they will be linked to the Wi-Fi community.
This solely works for Wi-Fi passwords, not common passwords.
Adjust the beam width of your flashlight
The flashlight on the iPhone is getting an enormous improve. While you’ve got lengthy been capable of change the depth of the flashlight, on iOS 18 now you can additionally modify the beam width of the sunshine, so long as you could have a suitable mannequin. You can go huge, to cowl extra space with much less gentle, or go slim, to make use of extra intense gentle over much less space, and in all places in between. It’s a enjoyable function to mess around with for lighting individuals for pictures.
To use the brand new function, flip in your flashlight (use the lock display screen or management heart), and a brand new consumer interface will seem within the dynamic island. You can change the sunshine depth by swiping up and down, however to vary the beam width, you will have to swipe left and proper. If you faucet wherever within the dynamic island, you’ll be able to flip the flashlight on and off.
A large flashlight beam (left) and a slim beam (proper).
Note: This function solely works on iPhone fashions with the dynamic island, together with the iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Transcribe Voice Memos and make them searchable
The Voice Memos app is extremely handy for capturing concepts or track snippets, however they’ve all the time been obfuscated. You may give them a descriptive title, however that does not assist once you wish 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 accessible solely as audio waveforms.
In the Voice Memos app, faucet one in every of your memos to disclose its controls after which faucet the Edit Recording button, which appears like a waveform. Or, faucet the three-dots button to the best of a memo and select Edit Recording.
Next, faucet the Transcribe button to create the transcription (or view the textual content if it is already been transcribed). Tap Done.
Take an current voice memo (left) and create a transcript of the recording (proper).
Now, once you use the Search area, the app appears by the transcripts along with the titles for outcomes. The textual content can be accessible all through iOS – once you carry out a search from the house display screen, you will see Voice Memos as a class with the memos that embrace the search time period (it’s possible you’ll have to faucet Show More Results to disclose it).
With transcripts made, voice memos are extra simply searchable.
Hide app labels for a cleaner residence display screen
Is your own home display screen feeling slightly too cluttered? If so, this new function may assist. Now with iOS 18, you’ll be able to eliminate app labels, or the names of the apps that you simply see beneath every app icon on your own home display screen. If you’ll be able to acknowledge an app from simply the icon, who wants the label?
On your own home display screen, press and maintain down on any clean house, till you enter jiggle mode, after which hit Edit > Customize. A menu will seem on the backside of the display screen; select the Large choice, which is able to make your app icons barely bigger and take away the app labels.
This may also take away the app labels from the folders within the App Library.
Change an app to a widget with out leaving the house display screen
Not each iOS app has a widget in your residence display screen, but when it does, you need not dig by the widget edit web page to seek out it. If you are operating iOS 18, and there is an app that you simply wish to flip right into a widget, you are able to do so in a short time proper from your own home display screen.
On a supported app, press and maintain down on the icon on your own home display screen to deliver up the short actions menu. If the app has a widget, you will see an app icon subsequent to quite a lot of widget icons (as much as three). Tap on any of the widget icons to vary the app to a widget. If you wish to return from the widget to the app, go to the short motion menu and hit the app icon on the left.
This solely works for apps which have widgets on iOS.
Secretly determine songs utilizing the Action 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 rapidly. But to get the reply means very noticeably asking Siri to run Shazam or activating Music Recognition in management heart. Wouldn’t or not it’s enjoyable to let your mates suppose you’ve got been blessed with an encyclopedic data of pop music?
In iOS 18, you’ll be able to come shut utilizing the Action Button (at the moment accessible simply on iPhone 15 Pro fashions). Go to Settings > Action Button and swipe by the choices till Recognize Music is chosen.
Assign the Recognize Music function to the Action Button after which determine songs by simply holding the button.
To make it work, simply press and maintain the Action Button for a few seconds. Shazam seems within the dynamic island to take heed to what’s taking part in and identifies the track. If you are sneaky about activating Shazam and peeking at your telephone, nobody must know you bought some assist from a supercomputer within the cloud.
Find photos with handwriting and illustrations within the Photos app
Lots is altering within the Photos app in iOS 18, from the best way issues are organized to the flexibility to make use of generative AI to take away objects in photos (coming subsequent month). Apple has additionally tucked a number of surprises into the app that will help you type by your library.
Scroll down previous the primary library itself to view classes corresponding to People and Pets and Memories till you attain Utilities. Tap it to view the complete checklist – however observe {that a} new function of this interface is the flexibility to swipe left to view extra panels. Prior to iOS 18, Utilities included choices to view hidden, not too long ago deleted and duplicate pictures.
Now, it consists of many extra choices. Tap Handwriting to view photos with handwriting in them. Looking for photos which might be illustrations and never pictures? Tap Illustrations (although in our testing this appears to seize loads of screenshots, too).
View photos that include handwriting in your Photos library in iOS 18.
Share a selected part of a podcast
Did the hosts of your favourite podcast say one thing particularly humorous or considerate that you simply wish to share with somebody? In the Podcasts app in iOS 18, you’ll be able to ship an episode to a buddy with the playback superior to that second — however the functionality is not straightforward to seek out.
Tap the Now Playing bar within the app on the backside of the display screen to view the playback controls and pause the episode. Use the progress bar to return to the beginning of the part you wish to share.
Next, faucet the More (…) button and select Share Episode. In the sharing choices that seem, faucet From Start under the episode title, after which choose From [the current time]. Tap Done.
Start by sharing the episode itself.
Lastly, select the strategy of sharing, corresponding to 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].
Specify that the shared episode begins on the time you selected.
