On this preliminary hands-on walkthrough, I focus on 18 of my favourite new adjustments and options from the primary iOS 18 beta for iPhone. I clarify why you need to be enthusiastic about new long-awaited updates to the iOS Calendar app, Reminders, Notes, Messages, and extra. Watch our hands-on video, and remember to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for extra hands-on iOS 18 protection.
Word: To your comfort, clicking the heading of every part will soar on to the corresponding timestamp within the embedded video under.
In iOS 18, the house display receives a number of radical (for iOS) adjustments. For the primary time, customers are allowed to position app icons anyplace, so long as they adhere to the standard grid construction. The identical factor now applies to widgets on iPhone, a function beforehand unique to iPadOS.
Talking of widgets, in iOS 18 now you can resize widgets dynamically by way of a useful drag deal with that surfaces whereas in edit mode. Widgets will also be upsized and downsized, all the way in which again all the way down to an everyday app icon, utilizing a context menu choice that seems when long-pressing the app.
Video: iOS 18 prime options and adjustments
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There’s additionally the flexibility to make app icons bigger, which additionally brings forth the flexibility to cover app names on the Residence Display screen for the primary time. Hopefully, Apple will prolong this function to the smaller icons as nicely.
Customers may also like the brand new choice to allow a darkish mode for icons. At present, solely Apple’s first-party pre-installed apps are affected by the darkish mode choice, however builders will be capable to function it of their apps as nicely. As well as, there’s a new choice to tint all app icons with the identical colour for a extra cohesive theme on the Residence Display screen.
Up till now, the Calendar app was a giant disappointment for me, as a result of the month-to-month view offered nearly no element. In iOS 18, Apple has lastly addressed this obvious omission by offering the month view with totally different colours for every calendar, and the flexibility to pinch out to view particular particulars about upcoming occasions.
However Apple took it a step additional in iOS 18, and tightly built-in the Calendar with Reminders. Now you can schedule a reminder straight within the Calendar, and add a calendar occasion straight from Reminders. These are each high quality enhancements which can be certain to simplify occasion and activity administration.
In iOS 18, the Messages app positive factors a number of new options, comparable to with the ability to use emojis and stickers with tapbacks, the super-handy one-icon replies for rapidly acknowledging a message that doesn’t require a full textual content response.
Customers may also love the flexibility to schedule messages, a function that I and lots of others have been wanting for years. Apple additionally included a brand new textual content impact choice that means that you can apply particular results and textual content formatting to your messages all the way down to a person phrase or emoji character.
Notes have acquired some unbelievable updates through the years, and that pattern continues with iOS 18. One among my favourite new options is the flexibility to break down headings, which is nice for organizing dense textual content. Notes additionally positive factors the flexibility to report and embed audio notes and spotlight textual content utilizing certainly one of 5 new colour choices.
As at all times, this 12 months’s main iOS replace contains fairly a couple of noteworthy accessibility enhancements. A brand new Vocal Shortcuts choice, which helps you to set up particular key phrases for executing Siri instructions and shortcuts offers an especially highly effective new automation device.
There’s additionally a brand new visionOS-like eye-tracking function that means that you can management your system utilizing simply your eyes. I can solely think about this function changing into extra highly effective over time and could also be a adequate purpose for a big replace to the front-facing digicam {hardware} in future iPhones.
13 further prime options
Along with the 5 areas touched on above, I additionally cowl a further 13 sections in this preliminary iOS 18 walkthrough. The sections embody the next:
I’ll be again with extra in-depth, hands-on protection of iOS 18 and all of Apple’s platforms within the coming days and weeks. Within the meantime, inform me, what’s your favourite new function in iOS 18? Hold forth within the feedback under.
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