iOS 18 public beta now available; here are all the new features

The iOS 18 public beta is now rolling out for download. This means anyone can now try out iOS 18 and all of its new features. The update includes a broad range of new features for iPhone users, such as new customization options, upgrades to Messages, a completely redesigned Photos app, and much more.

Head below for our full recap of everything new in iOS 18…

How to install iOS 18 public beta

If you’re interested in signing up for Apple’s public beta testing program, you can do so via Apple’s website right here. Apple’s new software version will be complete in the fall, at which point it will be released to the general public. For the time being, testers should still expect performance and stability issues when running the iOS 18 public beta on primary devices.

What’s new in iOS 18?

Home screen customization

iOS 18 adds multiple new ways for users to customize their iPhone’s Home Screen. You can now place app icons and widgets anywhere on your Home Screen grid. This allows you to leave blank spaces and have full control over where your icons and widgets appear.

iOS 18 also now lets you tint your Home Screen app icons and widgets. You can choose any color you want, or opt for a new dark mode option that turns almost all of Home Screen app icons dark.

New Control Center features

Control Center has gotten a significant overhaul in iOS 18, giving you full control (ha) over the layout and organization of your experience. You can have multiple pages in Control Center, which you can easily swipe between.

There is also a new API that allows third-party apps to donate controls to the new Control Center interface. For example, the Ford app could adopt this API and offer Control Center controls for things like starting your car, opening your trunk, and more.

Change Lock Screen controls

As part of the new Control Center revamp, iOS 18 now lets you customize the two controls that appear on your iPhone’s Lock Screen. You can replace the flashlight and camera buttons with any of the new Control Center controls, even including third-party controls.

All of these controls can also be assigned to the Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro.

New Messages features

iOS 18 includes multiple new features for the Messages app. First, there are new text effects that can be applied to individual words in messages. These options include big, small, shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom, and jitter. You can also now add formatting like bold, underline, italics, and strikethrough to any letter, word, or phrase in iMessage.

The Tapbacks system has been revamped in iOS 18, so you can react to messages using emojis or stickers.

Scheduled messages are also now supported in Messages with iOS 18. You can write a message and then choose to have it delivered in the future, such as when you know the other person will be awake.

RCS support

Speaking of the Messages app, iOS 18 includes support for RCS messaging for the first time. RCS unlocks better cross-platform communication between iPhone and Android devices. This includes things like read receipts, typing indicators, better group chat support, high quality photos and videos, and more.

RCS support will vary from carrier to carrier around the world. Availability will likely expand as we get closer to iOS 18’s general release in September.

iPhone Mirroring

In conjunction with macOS Sequoia (which is also now available in public beta), iOS 18 adds a new iPhone Mirroring feature for accessing your iPhone via your Mac. This feature allows you to interact with your iPhone, receive push notifications, and move files between both devices.

Here’s an in-depth look at how iPhone Mirroring works with iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia:

iOS 18 revamps the experience of using screen sharing with SharePlay. Now, you can draw on someone’s screen so they can see what you can do on theirs, or you can control their screen and take actions yourself.

If you provide a lot of iPhone or iPad tech support, this feature will be a lifesaver for you.

All-new Photos app

The Photos app is getting a major revamp in iOS 18, with Apple describing this as the biggest-ever update to the app. There are no more tabs at the bottom of the Photos app, and instead, it features a unified layout that has been simplified into a single view

One tent pole of the Photos app is a series of collections. Apple explains that your library is organized by theme, letting you browse by Recent Days, People & Pets, Trips, on a map, and more. The new Photos app is also highly customizable, so you can rearrange and pin different Collections, filter out specific types of content (like screenshots), and more.

The search functionality in the iOS 18 Photos app has been completely revamped as well. You can now search by combinations of people, places, and more.

New features in Safari

iOS 18 brings a new Highlights feature to Safari, which Apple says uses machine learning to surface key information from the webpage you’re visiting:

• Summary: Review a summary of an article to get the gist before reading on.
• Location: See the location of a restaurant, hotel, or landmark.
• People: Expand your knowledge about a person you’re reading about.
• Music: Listen to an artist’s hit track right from an article about the song or album.
• Movies and TV shows. Check out a movie or TV show or add it to your watch list.

New Passwords app

Apple has finally given us a dedicated Passwords app. This new app, included in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and visionOS 2, gives easy access to all of your passwords, passkeys, and other login information. The app also stores your Wi-Fi passwords.

New features for Apple Notes

The Notes app has added a number of new features with iOS 18:

• In-line math support: Enter an expression and have it solved instantly while typing.
• Collapsible sections: Simplify and hide text with collapsible section headers, making it easy to manage your most text-heavy notes.
• With the new highlight style feature, it’s easier to quickly mark up your notes and make text stand out.

Gaming improvements

Apple continues its efforts to make the iPhone a gaming powerhouse with iOS 18:

• Maximize gameplay performance: Game Mode minimizes background activity to sustain consistently high frame rates for hours of continuous gameplay.
• More responsive AirPods and controllers: Game Mode dramatically reduces audio latency with AirPods, and makes wireless game controllers incredibly responsive.

Apple Wallet upgrades

The Wallet app is getting noticeably better with iOS 18 this year. These upgrades are headlined by a new Tap to Cash feature. By simply bringing your phone close to a friend’s iPhone, you can send money instantly – transferring from your Apple Cash account to theirs.

Apple Wallet’s support for event tickets has also been redesigned in iOS 18, as Apple explains:

Event tickets in Apple Wallet receive their greatest transformation ever, with a beautiful new design and richer experience for fans. Tickets in Wallet can put key event information at users’ fingertips, such as a map of the venue and parking details; useful services like in-seat food delivery; recommended playlists from Apple Music; local forecasts from Weather; and easy access to location sharing to help fans find their friends when they arrive.

A new Tap to Provision feature coming to Apple Wallet this year. When available, this feature will let you add new credit or debit cards to Apple Wallet by simply tapping your card on the back of your iPhone.

Apple Pay is also coming to Chrome and other third-party web browsers and computers with iOS 18. Apple says you will just need to scan a code from the website using your iPhone and then complete the payment. 

Finally, Apple Pay and Apple Wallet are also adding new integrations with rewards and installment payments from banks. Perhaps most notably, Apple says that users in the United States will be able to apply for loans directly through Affirm when they check out with Apple Pay. 

New Home app and HomeKit features

In the Home app with iOS 18, you can now grant specific controls with guest access. This will help you better manage how and when people can enter your home. You have the flexibility to give access to things like garage openers, alarm systems, and door locks only at specific times.

iOS 18 also adds hands-free unlock support for HomeKit smart locks. The idea is that UWB support will make the process truly hands-free, using proximity to automatically lock and unlock doors as you arrive and depart. Unfortunately, you’ll need a UWB-enabled smart lock for this to work, and those don’t exist yet.

You can now set a preferred Home Hub in iOS 18. In the past, the Home app has attempted to automatically select the best Apple TV or HomePod in your house to serve as your Home Hub, but this gives you direct control over which is used.

New privacy features

As usual, iOS 18 includes a number of new privacy and security features for iPhone users. First, you can now lock any app behind Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode. This means no one will be able to open the app without your authentication.

More than that, iOS 18 also includes support for hidden apps. The app name and icon are hidden on the Home Screen and in search, and you won’t receive notifications from the app. Instead, the app is only accessible via a new hidden apps folder in the App Library and requires Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode to be opened.

More new privacy features:

• Improved Contacts sharing: Choose which contacts to share with an app, instead of giving an app access to all your contacts.
• Accessory Setup Kit: A new way to pair Bluetooth accessories without giving the app visibility of other devices on your network.
• Settings app changes: A redesigned Privacy & Security interface in the Settings app makes it easier to manage what information you’re sharing with apps.

Accessibility

Here are some of the new Accessibility features in iOS 18:

• Eye Tracking gives users a built-in option for navigating iPad and iPhone with just their eyes.
• Music Haptics is a new way for users who are deaf or hard of hearing to experience music on iPhone. The Taptic Engine in iPhone plays taps, textures, and refined vibrations to the audio of the music.
• With Vocal Shortcuts, iPhone and iPad users can assign custom utterances that Siri can understand to launch shortcuts and complete complex tasks.
• Vehicle Motion Cues is a new experience for iPhone and iPad that can help reduce motion sickness for passengers in moving vehicles.
• Accessibility features coming to CarPlay include Voice Control, Color Filters, and Sound Recognition.

And much more…

Outside these headlining features, iOS 18 includes many other changes and new features.

Apple Maps:

• Topographic maps
• Browse a selection of hikes available at national parks across the United States
• Create and save custom walking and hiking routes
• Get turn-by-turn navigation for hiking and walking routes.

Journal:

• Log your state of mind and mood directly in the Journal app.
• New “insights” feature for keeping track of your journaling goals like streaks and stats
• New widgets for your Home Screen or Lock Screen
• Search and sort support

Phone:

• Record phone calls, with a notification to both parties that the call is being recorded. Recorded transcriptions are automatically saved to the Notes app.
• Keypad search with T9 dialing support
• Call history search
• Automatic Mic Mode selection

Calendar:

• A redesigned month view makes it easier to get an overview of your month ahead.
• You can create, view, edit, and complete reminders from the Reminders app right in Calendar.

Freeform:

• Scenes allow you to organize and present your board section by section.
• Share a copy of your board with anyone using a simple link.
• The enhanced diagramming mode simplifies forming connections on your canvas.
• Align your board content precisely by snapping items to the grid.

More tidbits:

• Emergency SOS live video: Share streaming video and recorded media during emergency calls
• Calculator: Access the all-new Math Notes calculator, a new portrait orientation for the scientific calculator, and other new features like unit conversion and history.
• Apple’s Weather app gets two new features in iOS 18
• iOS 18’s new ‘dynamic’ wallpaper option changes colors automatically
• Apple TV+ InSight feature now live with iOS 18 and tvOS 18 beta 3
• iOS 18 adds a much-needed new feature for Apple Maps search
• Apple Music in iOS 18 gets two new features that are flying under the radar
• Your iPhone is getting a dedicated Game Mode in iOS 18
• iOS 18 will show you what time it is even when your iPhone is dead
• iPhone flashlight iOS 18: How it works

Coming later: Apple Intelligence

These are just some of the new features in iOS 18 available today. A number of new features, including Apple Intelligence, will roll out over the next year.

As we’ve reported before, Apple Intelligence is Apple’s suite of AI features that it says will revolutionize how people use their Apple devices. This includes a set of Writing Tools for proofreading and rewriting your text. A new Priority Notifications feature powered by AI will surface your most important notifications first.

Apple Intelligence also includes Genmoji, a new feature for creating your own emoji using natural language right from your keyboard. Image Playground is a new feature where you can create original images that can be used anywhere.

Siri is also getting a dramatic revamp as part of Apple Intelligence and iOS 18:

Powered by Apple Intelligence, Siri becomes more deeply integrated into the system experience. With richer language-understanding capabilities, Siri is more natural, more contextually relevant, and more personal, with the ability to simplify and accelerate everyday tasks. It can follow along if users stumble over words and maintain context from one request to the next. Additionally, users can type to Siri, and switch between text and voice to communicate with Siri in whatever way feels right for the moment. Siri also has a brand-new design with an elegant glowing light that wraps around the edge of the screen when Siri is active.

Again, none of the Apple Intelligence features are available in the iOS 18 public beta. These features will be released over the months to come.

iOS 18 device compatibility

iOS 18 is compatible with the following iPhone models:

• iPhone XR
• iPhone XS and XS Max
• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max
• iPhone 12 and 12 mini
• iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 13 and 13 mini
• iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 14 and 14 Plus
• iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max
• iPhone 15 and 15 Plus
• iPhone 15 and 15 Pro Max
• iPhone SE (2nd gen)
• iPhone SE (3rd gen)

Hands-on with iOS 18 [Video]

Wrap up

Now that the iOS 18 public beta is available, are you planning to try it out? Or will you wait for the stable release in September? Let us know in the comments.