In less than a week, we’ll see the first beta of iOS 18. You’ve probably heard about a ton of AI features set to be integrated into iOS 18, but are there other features beyond AI? The answer is yes. Here are the features we know about iOS 18 so far.
When will iOS 18 Beta be released?
Control Center
If I remember correctly, in previous years, there were also some leaks suggesting that the iOS Control Center would be redesigned or updated, but that didn’t happen.
This year, leaks continue to mention that Apple will change the Control Center in iOS 18. Mark Gurman, a reliable source for Apple’s plans, has stated that the Music widget will get a new design, along with optimizations for HomeKit smart home controls.
The Control Center has not seen a major design change since iOS 11 (2017), and it has retained that design up to now. A redesign in iOS 18 would be very welcome.
Home Screen
Since late March, rumors have suggest that iOS 18 might ditch the grid layout on the home screen, allowing users to freely place app icons anywhere they like. This would be a major shift, as the grid has been a staple of iPhone home screens since the first iPhone in 2007.
On top of that, reliable Apple reporter Mark Gurman suggests iOS 18 could introduce system-wide color customization for app icons. The exact details remain under wraps, but Gurman hints at the possibility of “making all your social media icons blue or your finance apps green.” We’ll have to wait for WWDC24 to see how exactly this will work.
Settings App
The Settings app is expected to receive a major update this year with iOS 18. Notable changes include a new UI with a more organized and cleaner layout, making navigation easier, along with improved search capabilities within Settings.
macOS 15 is also rumored to have similar changes to System Settings, according to AppleInsider.
Messages App
The Messages app will also receive several updates, such as text effects on a per-word basis within messages (according to MacRumors), reply suggestions based on the analysis of recent messages in the conversation (according to AppleInsider), message summaries, AI-generated custom emojis based on the context of recent messages (according to Mark Gurman), and notably, support for RCS messages (confirmed by Apple) to enable smoother messaging between iOS and Android.
Notes App
According to AppleInsider, the Notes app will support direct audio recording within the app, which is particularly useful for students and business professionals who want to record entire lectures or meetings, along with accompanying images and text from whiteboards.
Additionally, mathematical notation will be supported in the Notes app for the first time, allowing text recognition of mathematical equations and the creation of graphs.
Which iOS 18 feature are you most excited about? Share your thoughts in the comments below 