There’s a lot to iOS 18, it might make your head spin.
You most likely already find out about a number of the main options, like customizing your home screen, formatting text messages and improvements to Maps. There are additionally all of the Apple Intelligence options.
That is not every little thing that iOS 18 has to supply. There are many new settings that are not publicized, in order that they keep beneath the radar, however that does not imply they don’t seem to be essential.
These are all of the hidden iOS 18 options it is best to find out about.
For extra, listed below are seven iOS 18 settings you want to change right away, tips on how to back up your iPhone the correct way and tips on how to fix these three annoying iOS 18 settings.
Restart your iPhone from the brand new management middle
You do not have to press any bodily buttons to restart your iPhone if you happen to’re working iOS 18. The redesigned management middle options all of the traditional controls you are used to, like brightness, quantity, orientation, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, however there are a number of new controls, together with one to restart your iPhone.
All it’s essential do is swipe down from the top-right of your iPhone and press and maintain down on the brand new energy button within the top-right of the management middle. You’ll be able to’t simply faucet it; you need to maintain it down for a second or so, after which the slider to energy off your iPhone will seem.
To show your iPhone again on, you may nonetheless must press and maintain the bodily aspect button.
On iOS 17 and earlier, the one option to restart your iPhone is to press and maintain both quantity button and the aspect button.
There are a couple of methods you’ll be able to share a Wi-Fi community and password with individuals through your iPhone, and there is a new option to do it on iOS 18. Utilizing a QR code fills in a couple of gaps for methods to rapidly share your Wi-Fi data:
- Share with a number of individuals without delay. As a substitute of individually sending out your Wi-Fi password, you’ll be able to have everybody scan the QR code out of your telephone.
- Share with somebody not saved as your contact. Close by share for Wi-Fi does not work except that individual is in your contacts.
- Share with somebody who has Android. Close by share and AirDrop do not work with Android units.
Watch this: 11 Hidden Options in iOS 18
So if you happen to meet any of these eventualities and you do not need to textual content the Wi-Fi password to them, you should utilize the QR code. Go to the brand new Passwords app, go to the Wi-Fi part, faucet on the community you need to share after which hit Present Community QR Code. If the opposite individual scans the QR code with their digicam, they’re going to be related to the Wi-Fi community.
This solely works for Wi-Fi passwords, not common passwords.
Regulate the beam width of your flashlight
The flashlight on the iPhone is getting a giant improve. You have lengthy been capable of change the depth of the flashlight, however on iOS 18 now you can additionally regulate the beam width of the sunshine, so long as you might have a suitable mannequin. You’ll be able to go huge, to cowl extra space with much less mild, or go slender, to make use of extra intense mild over much less space, and in every single place in between. It is a enjoyable function to mess around with for lighting individuals for images.
To make use of the brand new function, flip in your flashlight (use the lock display screen or management middle), and a brand new person interface will seem within the dynamic island. You’ll be able to change the sunshine depth by swiping up and down, however to vary the beam width, you may must swipe left and proper. In case you faucet anyplace within the dynamic island, you’ll be able to flip the flashlight on and off.
A large flashlight beam (left) and a slender beam.
Observe: This function solely works on iPhone fashions with the dynamic island, together with the iPhone 14 Professional, iPhone 14 Professional Max, iPhone 15 sequence and iPhone 16 sequence.
Transcribe Voice Memos and make them searchable
The Voice Memos app is extremely handy for capturing concepts or music snippets, however they’ve all the time been obfuscated. You can provide them a descriptive title, however that does not assist whenever you need to discover that one memo you recorded that comprises the phrase “porcupine.” In iOS 18, the app can create transcriptions of your voice memos and seek for phrases that have been beforehand accessible solely as audio waveforms.
Within the Voice Memos app, faucet one among your memos to disclose its controls after which faucet the Edit Recording button, which appears like a waveform. Or, faucet the three-dots button to the suitable of a memo and select Edit Recording.
Subsequent, faucet the Transcribe button to create the transcription (or view the textual content if it is already been transcribed). Faucet Achieved.
Take an present voice memo (left) and create a transcript of the recording (proper).
Now, whenever you use the Search discipline, the app appears by means of the transcripts along with the titles for outcomes. The textual content can also be accessible all through iOS. Once you carry out a search from the house display screen, you may see Voice Memos as a class with the memos that embody the search time period (it’s possible you’ll must faucet Present Extra Outcomes to disclose it).
With transcripts made, voice memos are extra simply searchable.
Disguise app labels for a cleaner house display screen
Is your private home display screen feeling somewhat too cluttered? In that case, this new function might assist. Now with iOS 18, you’ll be able to do away with app labels or the names of the apps that you just see beneath every app icon on your private home display screen. In case you can acknowledge an app from simply the icon, who wants the label?
On your private home display screen, press and maintain down on any clean house, till you enter jiggle mode, after which hit Edit > Customise. A menu will seem on the backside of the display screen; select the Giant possibility, which can make your app icons barely bigger and take away the app labels.
This may also take away the app labels from the folders within the App Library.
Change an app to a widget with out leaving the house display screen
Not each iOS app has a widget to your house display screen, but when it does, you need not dig by means of the widget edit web page to seek out it. In case you’re working iOS 18, and there is an app that you just need to flip right into a widget, you are able to do so in a short time proper from your private home display screen.
On a supported app, press and maintain down on the icon on your private home display screen to convey up the short actions menu. If the app has a widget, you may see an app icon subsequent to a wide range of widget icons (as much as three). Faucet on any of the widget icons to vary the app to a widget. If you wish to return from the widget to the app, go to the short motion menu and hit the app icon on the left.
This solely works for apps which have widgets on iOS.
Secretly determine songs utilizing the Motion Button
No lie, it is satisfying when somebody asks, “What music is that this?” to have the ability to activate Music Recognition on the iPhone and get a solution rapidly. However to get the reply means very noticeably asking Siri to run Shazam or activating Music Recognition in the control center. Would not it’s enjoyable to let your mates assume you have been blessed with an encyclopedic data of pop music?
In iOS 18, you’ll be able to come shut utilizing the Motion Button. Go to Settings > Motion Button and swipe by means of the choices till Acknowledge Music is chosen.
Assign the Acknowledge Music function to the Motion Button after which determine songs by simply holding the button.
To make it work, simply press and maintain the Motion Button for a few seconds. Shazam seems within the dynamic island to hearken to what’s enjoying and determine the music. In case you’re sneaky about activating Shazam and peeking at your telephone, nobody must know you bought some assist from a supercomputer within the cloud.
Discover pictures with handwriting and illustrations within the Pictures app
Loads is altering within the Pictures app in iOS 18, from the best way issues are organized to the flexibility to make use of generative AI to remove objects in pictures. Apple has additionally tucked a couple of surprises into the app that will help you type by means of your library.
Scroll down previous the principle library itself to view classes resembling Individuals and Pets and Reminiscences till you attain Utilities. Faucet it to view the total checklist — however observe {that a} new function of this interface is the flexibility to swipe left to view further panels. Previous to iOS 18, Utilities included choices to view hidden, just lately deleted and duplicate images.
Now, it contains many extra choices. Faucet Handwriting to view pictures with handwriting in them. Searching for pictures which might be illustrations and never images? Faucet Illustrations (though in our testing this appears to seize a whole lot of screenshots too).
View pictures that include handwriting in your Pictures library in iOS 18.
Did the hosts of your favourite podcast say one thing particularly humorous or considerate that you just need to share with somebody? Within the Podcasts app in iOS 18, you’ll be able to ship an episode to a pal with the playback superior to that second — however the functionality is not straightforward to seek out.
Faucet the Now Taking part in bar within the app on the backside of the display screen to view the playback controls and pause the episode. Use the progress bar to return to the beginning of the part you need to share.
Subsequent, faucet the Extra (…) button and select Share Episode. Within the sharing choices that seem, faucet From Begin under the episode title, after which choose From [the current time]. Faucet Achieved.
Begin by sharing the episode itself.
Lastly, select the tactic of sharing, resembling through Messages or Mail. When the recipient receives the shared episode and opens it within the Podcasts app, they’re going to see the choice to Play from [the time].
Specify that the shared episode begins on the time you selected.
