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After iOS 18 was announced in June, it is finally making its way to Apple devices. As long as your phone is running iOS 17, it’s eligible for a free upgrade to iOS 18, all the way back to the iPhone XR and iPhone XS that launched in 2018.
There’s a lot of new stuff in Apple’s 2024 iPhone software overhaul, and it’ll take a while to get through it all. To help you get started, we’ve collected new ones iOS 18 features you should check out first.
1. Really customize Control Center
The Control Center is now four screens, with more customization options: swipe down from the top right corner of the screen to find it, then swipe up and down to see the different screens. Tap the + (plus) button, top left, to make changes to icons and widgets.
2. Pause your video recordings
Start recording a video in the Camera app on iOS 18 and you’ll notice a new pause button in the corner of the screen. Tap this to temporarily stop recording (this can be useful if you want to switch between scenes or zoom levels in the same recording).
3. Hide distracting items on the internet
Safari in iOS 18 can now hide distracting items (like images and menus) on web pages, although the feature is not designed as an ad blocker. Tap the icon (the rectangle and lines) to the left of the address bar, then choose Hide distracting items to start zapping.
4. Record how you feel
Another app getting an upgrade in iOS 18 is the Journal app. Among the changes is the introduction of a mindfulness option to diary entries: if you tap the icon that looks like a small tree, you can record your mood for each day and see how it changes over time.
5. Get more out of your games
iOS 18 has a built-in Game Mode that limits background activity on your iPhone so your games run smoother. You don’t have to do anything to enable it, except start a game: you’ll see a notification about Game Mode at the top (tap this if you want to disable it).
6. Give guests access to your smart home
The Apple Home app introduces guest access with the rollout of iOS 18, giving others temporary access to devices like smart locks so they can let themselves in. At home tab, tap the + (plus) icon at the top and then choose Add people set access.
7. Try the new Passwords app
Apple has already offered to store passwords via iCloud and Safari, but iOS 18 introduces a standalone Passwords app for the first time. Launch the app from the App Library and you will see that your credentials remain encrypted and synced between devices.
8. Change the colors of the shortcuts on the home screen
You can now make the app shortcuts on your home screen match the colors of your wallpaper: Long-press on an empty area of a home screen until the icons start moving, then tap Editing And Adjust. You will then see options for icon size and color at the bottom.
9. Choose your own shortcuts on the lock screen
By default, you get flashlight and camera shortcuts on the lock screen, but now you can customize them for the first time: long press on the lock screen, then choose Adjust And Lock screen. You can then change the shortcuts or delete them completely.
10. Do more with the calculator
The Calculator also gets some useful improvements in iOS 18: If you tap the little calculator icon in the bottom-left corner of the Calculator app, you can switch to a Math Notes mode where you can type expressions and even assign variables.
11. Find photos from your travels
iOS 18 also brings significant changes to the Photos app, with plenty of reorganization to help you better dig through your library. The front screen of the app now contains shortcuts to the past days, people and pets, and collections of trips you’ve taken.
12. Adjust the flashlight beam
You can take more control over the flashlight: it still launches the same way, with a tap on the icon in the Control Center, but you can then tap the icon in the Dynamic Island to adjust the light. Swipe left and right and up and down to change focus and intensity.
13. Record audio in Notes app
Notes you save in the Notes app can now have audio added directly to them. Tapping the paperclip icon at the bottom of an open note will choose Record audioyou can dictate your thoughts to the app. Even better: you get real-time text transcription included.
14. Lock access to any app
If other people sometimes borrow your phone, you might want to add some extra security on top of your most important apps. From the Home screen in iOS 18, long press an app shortcut and then choose Require facial ID (or Requires Touch ID) to protect it with biometrics.
15. Create customized walking routes
Apple Maps adds pre-made walking routes for you to follow in iOS 18, but you can also create your own walking routes and save them to your phone for offline use. Tap the picture of your Apple account and then choose Library And Routes to view existing routes and create new ones.
16. Choose some new backgrounds
Do you find your current backgrounds a bit old? Four brand new versions are included in iOS, both with Light and Dark Mode alternatives. You can find them in the usual way by opening and choosing iOS Settings Wallpaper and then Add new background.
17. Add more effects to your texts
iOS 18 brings the ability to add formatting (such as bold and italics) and animated effects (such as growing or exploding text) to iMessage conversations in Messages. Once you’ve composed a message, select it and then tap the arrow above it and Text effects.
18. Text contacts on Android with RCS
Those effects don’t apply to messages to Android contacts, but you can now use RCS (the successor to SMS) with anyone who isn’t on an iPhone: the bubbles are still green, but you get features like read receipts, typing indicators, group view chats and media in high resolution.