iOS 18 will soon be available for all iPhone models that are compatible after nearly three months of beta testing.
During its September 9 event, Apple should announce the precise release date for iOS 18. The most likely date is Monday, September 16.
We’ve highlighted eight important new features in iOS 18 below. Keep in mind that Apple Intelligence won’t be available until iOS 18.1.
Customizable Home Screen
App icons can now be placed anywhere on the Home Screen grid in iOS 18, and you can recolor them using the new “Dark” and “Tinted” customization options. App icons can also be made to be larger and not have text labels below them.
Redesigned Control Center
Control Center has been redesigned on iOS 18. It now allows you to rearrange and resize controls across multiple pages, just like the Home Screen. From the brand-new controls gallery, you can easily add additional controls.
iMessage Enhancements
On iOS 18, iMessage got a lot of new features, like the ability to use any emoji as a Tapback reaction, text effects like “Shake” and “Explode,” formatting options like bold and underline, scheduling messages to be sent later, RCS support for better messaging with Android devices, and more.
Redesigned Photos App
On iOS 18, Apple says that the Photos app underwent its most significant redesign to date, with tabs replaced by an all-in-one layout. Apple made design adjustments to the app during the iOS 18 beta testing period because of the changes’ polarizing nature.
Locks Apps Behind Face ID
For security and privacy reasons, iOS 18 now lets you lock any app behind Face ID, Touch ID, or an iPhone’s passcode. Additionally, you can now hide an application, which places it in a locked hidden apps folder.
Passwords App
The new Passwords app in iOS 18 brings many features that were only accessible through the iCloud Keychain to the Settings app. Passwords, passkeys, two-factor authentication codes, and other management tasks are made simpler by the app.
Distraction Control
The new Distraction Control feature, which is built into Safari, can be used to hide certain website elements like cookie permission prompts and sign-up forms for newsletters. However, Apple says that the feature is not intended to block ads. If you hide a banner for an advertisement, it will reappear when the advertisement’s content refreshes.
Game Mode
Game Mode was first made available on the Mac, and it is now available on the iPhone. Game Mode, according to Apple, “dramatically reduces” audio latency with AirPods, “minimizes background activity to sustain consistently high frame rates” during gameplay, and makes wireless game controllers “incredibly responsive.”