iOS 18 Brings a Fresh Wave of Features Beyond Apple Intelligence
Apple enthusiasts, rejoice! The tech giant has just rolled out the public betas for its highly anticipated iOS 18, along with updates for iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and watchOS 11. While the eagerly awaited Apple Intelligence isn’t included in this initial beta release, there’s still a lot to get excited about. Here’s a closer look at what new features you can expect with iOS 18.
Placement Freedom: A Customizable Home Screen
One of the most requested features over the years has been more control over the home screen layout. With iOS 18, users can finally put icons wherever they want on the home screen. This means you can organize your apps around the border of your screen to show off more of your wallpaper or create unique arrangements that suit your workflow. This added flexibility brings iOS one step closer to matching the customization capabilities long enjoyed by Android users.
Universal Tint for Personal Touch
Have you ever wished for a more uniform look across all your apps? iOS 18 introduces a feature that allows you to apply a universal tint to all your app icons. This means you can choose a specific color that will be applied across the board, making your home screen look more cohesive and visually pleasing. Whether you’re a fan of dark mode or prefer a particular color scheme, this added layer of customization is sure to delight.
Revamped Control Center
The Control Center has been a handy feature for quick access to settings and controls, and now it’s even more useful. iOS 18 brings a redesigned Control Center that is more customizable, complete with several pages of screen options and new types of controls. You can swap out the camera and flashlight shortcuts on your lock screen for other apps, tailor-fit to your specific needs.
New and Improved Photos App
Apple’s Photos app has received a significant makeover in iOS 18. The app now uses AI to organize your photos into trips or albums, which are displayed prominently on the first page when you open the app. This makes it easier to relive that summer vacation or sort through your holiday pictures. The update aims to make photo management more intuitive and visually appealing.
Enhanced Messaging with Emoji Reactions
The Messages app is also more colorful and interactive. Users can now react to messages with any emoji. These reactions, or “tapbacks,” now display in full color, adding a fun, expressive dimension to your conversations. Additionally, you can now add bold or italics to your text, enhancing the way you communicate via messages.
Satellite Texts and Safari Summaries
For those who venture into areas with no Wi-Fi or cell service, iOS 18 has a noteworthy update. Users with recent devices can now send texts via satellite, ensuring that you’re never completely out of touch. Safari also gets smarter, with features that summarize news and other web articles, even generating tables of contents. These can be accessed using a button located on the left side of the URL bar.
New App: Passwords
With security becoming increasingly crucial, Apple has consolidated all its password management features into a new app simply called “Passwords.” This makes it easier to manage and store your passwords securely in one place, streamlining the process for the user.
New Siri Animation and Capabilities
Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant, sees some visual changes in iOS 18. The Siri animation now takes over the entire screen when activated, making for a more immersive experience. While some of the major updates for Siri, including natural interactions and ChatGPT integration, are reserved for future betas, this visual change is a notable improvement.
How to Download the Beta
Ready to take iOS 18 for a spin? Here’s how you can download the public beta:
- Ensure your iPhone was released in 2018 or later.
- Update to the latest public version of iOS.
- Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
- Select the iOS 18 public beta from the dropdown menu.
It’s worth noting that while you can roll back most of your devices to their stable, current OS versions, this isn’t the case for the Apple Watch. So, it might be best to hold off on updating your Apple Watch to watchOS 11 until the stable version is released in the fall.
Other Updates: macOS, iPadOS, and tvOS
Beyond iOS 18, the public beta also brings interesting updates for other Apple devices. macOS Sequoia now allows users to mirror and control their iPhones directly from their Mac screens. iPadOS 18 finally brings a native Calculator app to the iPad, alongside the customization options similar to those in iOS 18.
Meanwhile, watchOS 11 introduces new health-focused features like rest days and Apple’s Vitals app, offering glanceable details on overnight health metrics. For film buffs, the tvOS 18 beta includes an InSight feature for Apple TV Plus content, akin to Amazon’s X-Ray.
Stay tuned for more updates and detailed features as new beta versions roll out, including the much-anticipated Apple Intelligence.
For those eager to explore these new features, enrolling in Apple’s beta program is the first step. Be sure to check Apple’s website for installation instructions specific to your device.
Happy beta testing!
also read:Unlock the Power of iPadOS 18 Math Notes: Advanced Calculations Made Easy
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