#iOS 18

The iOS 18.2 beta update brings an all-new hub in the Settings app that lets you manage the default apps on your iPhone. Besides email app and web browser, you can now change the default calling and messaging apps on your iPhone.

If iOS 18 call recording isn't working on your iPhone, you must ensure that you've installed iOS 18.1, which is currently in Beta. Also, make sure to enable Call Recording in the Settings app and manually trigger this feature during your active calls.

Apple now offers a dedicated Passwords app that lets you manage the passwords for all your websites and apps. The Passwords app is available in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. If you've updated to the latest software versions, all your passwords and other information will be synced across your devices.

Apple launched the latest iOS 18 with brand-new features like Home Screen Customization, a new Passwords app, and a redesigned Photos app, and more. Interestingly, Apple also silently pushed a bunch of handy features that can make a big difference in your day-to-day life. In this article, I've shared 25 hidden features and settings of iOS 18 that Apple didn't mention on the stage.

If some home screen app icons aren't turning dark in iOS 18, those apps might not be updated to include the dark icon alternatives. All the built-in iPhone apps have both Light and Dark icons to match your preferred aesthetic. In the case of third-party apps, if a developer hasn't updated the app, the iOS system will attempt to generate it for you.

Apple has now rolled out the stable version of iOS 18. If you've downloaded the iOS 18 beta and you no longer want it, you can update your iPhone to the stable version of iOS 18. You can't downgrade from iOS 18 beta to stable iOS 18 beta directly. You will first have to downgrade to iOS 18 using recovery mode and then update to the iOS 18 stable version.

The latest iOS 18 lets you make your iPhone home screen icons dark so they look aesthetically pleasing with the Dark Mode on your iPhone. On the home screen, touch & hold an empty space, then tap on Edit -> Customize -> Dark. To go along with the dark icons, the customization panel also has a sun icon that lets you darken the wallpaper.

I feel the new redesigned Photos app in iOS 18 is more complicated and overwhelming. While I miss the old design, there are a few customization options that make the iOS 18 Photos app bearable for me.

The latest iOS 18 Developer Beta 5 offers a built-in option to reset the Control Center to its default settings and undo any user-made changes and customizations. For this, go to Settings -> Control Center and choose the Reset Control Center option. As of now, the stable version of iOS 18 doesn't offer this option.

The latest iOS 18 brings Game Mode to iPhones, for the first time ever. Game Mode minimizes background activity on your iPhone to provide consistent FPS for better gameplay. The Game Mode in iOS 18 triggers automatically when you start a game. You can also toggle Game Mode from the Control Center.

To hide an app in iOS 18, touch and hold the app icon from the Home Screen and choose Require Face ID -> Hide and Require Face ID. To open and use a hidden app, go to App Library, tap on Hidden folder, authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode and tap on the app you wish to use. If you wish to unhide an app in iOS 18, go to the Hidden folder in App Library, long-press the app icon you wish to unhide and choose “Don’t Require Face ID“.

On September 16, 2024, Apple rolled out the final, polished version of iOS 18 for iPhones. The newest update brings a bunch of exciting additions like a revamped Control Center, Home Screen Customizations, and more. To upgrade from iOS 17 to iOS 18, go to Settings -> General -> Software Update and tap on the Download and Install option on the iOS 18 update notification.

To use iPhone Mirroring, you must install iOS 18 on your iPhone and macOS Sequoia on your Mac. If iPhone Mirroring isn't working, you should check your Apple IDs and enable Bluetooth & Wi-Fi on both devices. Also, make sure your iPhone is locked and you aren't using AirPlay or Apple Sidecar feature. If nothing works, try restarting your devices.

Reduce Interruptions Focus Mode in iOS 18 uses Apple Intelligence to surface only the important notifications while filtering out everything else. To set up Reduce Interruptions Focus Mode, go to Settings -> Focus then tap on the "+" icon, choose Reduce Interruptions, and tap on Customize Focus. You’ll see a toggle to turn on the Intelligent Breakthrough and Silencing option when you create a new Focus mode or customize an existing one.

The new Distraction Control feature lets you hide certain banners, cookie preference pop-ups, ads, and other distracting webpage items while you're browsing. To hide ads in Safari using the Distraction Control feature, go to a webpage and tap on Page Menu -> Hide Distracting Items. This feature can temporarily hide ads, but they will show up again when the site refreshes. If you wish to unhide the elements, tap on the Page Menu and choose Show Hidden Items.

The new iOS 18 brings a redesigned Control Center with a new Controls Gallery that lets you add more controls. You can now customize the new Control Center in iOS 18. To do this, open the Control Center, tap on the "+" icon from the top left, and tap on the Add a Control option. In addition, you have the freedom to rearrange or resize the controls or even add a new Control Center screen.

The latest iOS 18 has updated the Messages app with iMessage scheduling, RCS support, Tapbacks, Formatting options, and all new Text Effects. You can apply animated effects to individual letters, words, phrases, or emojis with the Text Effects feature in iOS 18. For this, open the Messages app, type your message, select a word or phrase, and choose the Text Effects option. You get to choose from eight text animation options, including Big, Small, Shake, Nod, Explode, Ripple, Bloom, and Jitter.

Apple offers a new accessibility feature named Vocal Shortcuts that lets you assign a custom phrase that ‌Siri‌ can understand to launch shortcuts and complete complex tasks. You can use the Vocal Shortcuts feature to rename Siri on your iPhone in iOS 18. For this, go to Settings -> Accessibility -> Set Up Vocal Shortcuts -> Siri. Once the new word has been set, you can use it to activate Siri on your iPhone. Bear in mind that the new name won't sync with other devices like HomePod.

Apple has added RCS support to iOS 18 to allow smooth communication between iPhone and Android users. To use RCS on iPhone, you have to install iOS 18 and your network carrier must support RCS. If you want to enable or disable RCS on iPhone, go to Settings -> Apps -> Messages -> RCS Messaging.

Looking for a reliable way to record incoming/outgoing calls on iPhone? Here are the 5 ways to record a phone call on iPhone in 2024.

Apple has announced the release of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 which is September 16, 2024. The new update includes features like redesigned Control Center, Photos app, RCS on iMessage, and Apple Intelligence. All iPhones that received the iOS 17 update are eligible for the update. Similarly, iPadOS 18 will be available for models from iPad 2019 to the recent iPad Pro M4.

Apple's iOS 18 brings several new CarPlay features including, Color Filters, Voice Control, Sound Recognition, New wallpapers, Siri improvements, a revamped Settings app, and more. Here are all the new CarPlay features in iOS 18.

With iOS 18, your iPhone won't stop the audio playback automatically when you switch to the Video mode in the Camera app. The latest iOS 18 adds a new "Allow Audio PlayBack" option that gives you control over the audio playback in dedicated Video mode. On your iPhone, go to Settings -> Camera -> Record Sound and you'll see the Allow Audio PlayBack toggle.