Apple iOS 18: Beyond the Headlines

Apple’s iOS 18 update rolled out on September 16, bringing with it a slew of highly anticipated features, including the ability to customize icons, the revamped Control Center, and RCS support. But beneath the surface, a wealth of subtle yet impactful changes awaits iPhone users.

Apple’s Settings App Gets a Refresh

• The Settings app now sports a dedicated Apps menu, providing a cleaner experience and simplifying navigation.

Apple Photos App: Enhanced Organization & Edits

• You can now easily hide screenshots from view within your photo library.
• The Photos app boasts new Utilities content types, making it a breeze to find documents, receipts, and more.
• The app automatically suggests photos ideal for wallpapers, adding a touch of convenience.
• With the ability to copy edits between photos, you can seamlessly apply adjustments like aspect ratio, exposure, and white balance.
• Apple Photos automatically organizes your travels and groups together people and pets for effortless photo retrieval.
• A new video speed control feature allows you to create mesmerizing slow-motion effects.

Apple Camera App: Music Playback & New Timer

• Music playing through earphones will no longer pause when snapping photos or videos, resolving a long-standing user frustration.
• The Camera app introduces a new 5-second timer, alongside existing 3- and 10-second options.

Apple Control Center: Customization & Power Button

• iOS 18 empowers you to personalize your Control Center with widgets and buttons.
• The power button now resides in the top-right corner of the Control Center, eliminating the need for the traditional power button combination.

Apple Messages App: Schedule Messages, Full-Resolution Images, and More

• You can now schedule messages for later delivery, enhancing your communication flexibility.
• iMessage allows you to send high-resolution images up to 100MB in size, ensuring clarity and detail.
• Text Effects add vibrant animations to your messages, creating a visually engaging experience.
• Send messages via satellite when cellular connectivity is unavailable.
• The Tapback feature now accepts any emoji or sticker, providing a broader range of reactions.

Apple Safari: Distractions Removal, Summary Highlights, and Insights

• Safari introduces a feature to remove distracting elements from web pages, enhancing your focus and browsing experience.
• Summary highlights offer a concise overview of articles, enabling you to quickly grasp the essence of the content.
• Insights provide valuable information about individuals, music, movies, and TV shows, enriching your browsing experience.

Apple Weather App: Prominent Feels Like Temperature, Wind Details, and Location Settings

• The Weather app now prominently displays Feels Like temperature alongside the actual temperature.
• Wind speeds, gusts, and directions are more readily accessible.
• You can conveniently set Home and Work locations from your contacts within the Weather app.

Apple Siri: AirPods Hand Gestures

• AirPods users can now respond to Siri message announcements by shaking or nodding their head, enabling hands-free call management.

Apple Podcasts App: Chapter Navigation, Queue Management, and Transcript Sharing

• Jump to specific chapters within a podcast using the progress bar.
• Reorder and remove episodes from your listening queue.
• Share specific segments of a podcast using the transcript feature.

Apple Maps App: Topographic Maps, Offline Hiking Trails, and Place Comparison

• Maps now offers topographic maps and hiking trails, rivalling dedicated third-party apps.
• Save hiking trails available across US national parks offline.
• Create and save your own walking and hiking routes.
• Compare places by browsing photos, ratings, and price levels.

Apple Notes App: Collapsible Sections, Audio Recording, and Math Support

• Notes now supports collapsible sections, allowing you to create structured documents within the app.
• Record audio sessions directly within notes to keep audio and written content together.
• Search within PDFs and highlight text with various colors.
• Notes and Calculator now support solving math equations.
• Add graphs and variables related to equations.

Apple Mail App: Email Grouping, Transactions & Updates Categories, and Cleanup Tools

• Group emails by sender and perform quick actions like marking as read, deleting, and archiving.
• The Transactions category helps locate order confirmations, receipts, shipping, and travel information.
• An Updates category centralizes newsletters, news items, and social updates.
• Time-sensitive items from Transactions, Updates, and Promotions remain visible in the Primary section.
• Explore new cleanup tools available within the Mail app, iCloud.com, and iCloud Mail settings.

Apple Utilities & Keyboard: Multilingual Keyboard, Unified Picker, and Calculator Enhancements

• The keyboard supports multiple languages within a single keyboard and automatically detects the last language used.
• A unified picker for emojis and stickers is now searchable.
• The Calculator evaluates expressions, assigns variables, and creates graphs.
• Remotely control a friend's device for tech support.
• The flashlight interface on select phones boasts a new design with adjustable brightness and beam width.

Apple Journal App: Mood Logging, Mindful Minutes, and Audio Transcriptions

• Log your mood and track mindful minutes spent journaling.
• The app supports audio transcriptions and printing your entries.
• Set reminders to write and add prompts to your Home Screen via widgets.

Apple Calendar & Reminders: Timed Reminders, New Views, and Multilingual Grocery Lists

• Calendar shows timed reminders and allows for direct editing within the app.
• Explore new views for days, weeks, and months in Calendar.
• Reminders now supports multilingual grocery lists and recently deleted lists.
• Quickly set up shared calendars, grocery lists, and password lists for family members.

Apple Files App: Offline iCloud Files and Folders, Expanded File Format Support

• Keep specific iCloud files or folders always downloaded and synced on your phone.
• Support for APFS, exFAT, and MS-DOS (Fat32) file formats for formatting external drives.

Apple TV App: InSight Feature and Enhanced Dialogue

• InSight provides information about actors and music within shows and movies, similar to Amazon Prime Video's X-Ray feature.
• Enhance Dialogue helps hear what's being said, even during scenes with loud effects and music.

Apple Home App: Hands-Free Door Unlocking, Guest Access, and Ultra Wideband Support

• Unlock connected doors hands-free with the Home app update.
• Add up to 29 guests and provide time-based access.
• Unlock Ultra Wideband-compatible smart locks without taking your phone out of your pocket (available next year).

Apple Accessibility Features: Eye Tracking, Custom Utterances, and Motion Cues

• Control your iPhone interface using eye tracking.
• Set custom utterances to invoke actions like going to the Home Screen, opening the camera, or triggering a shortcut.
• Vehicle motion cues in the form of dots on the screen help with motion sickness.
• Music Haptics syncs the iPhone Taptic Engine with the rhythm of songs for deaf and hard of hearing users.