Announced at WWDC 2024, the latest iOS 18 update is finally available on eligible iPhones. While features like home screen customization options and Apple Intelligence dominated the presentation slides at WWDC 2024, Apple has quietly included several handy add-ons to improve your everyday experience with your iPhone. Let's talk about the most hidden iOS 18 features and changes that Apple didn't really mention on stage but are worth knowing about.
22 Redesigned Settings and iCloud menus
The default Settings menu was highly anticipated with iOS 18. Now you will no longer see a long list of system and third-party apps at the bottom. For a cleaner layout, they have all been hidden in the apps menu.
The main menus now also show a small description at the top. For example, when you open this Generally In the menu, the system describes what you can expect. “Manage all of your iPhone setup and settings, such as software updates, device language, CarPlay, AirDrop, and more.” The same type of summary can be found in the “Accessibility,” “Privacy and Security,” and other sections.
The iCloud menu has also undergone a redesign. It now shows your storage allocation, the number of photos, Drive files, password entries, notes and messages stored on the iCloud platform.
21 Smart dialer
iOS 18 finally brings a smart dialer that makes it easy to find your contacts. It's a T9 (text on 9 keys) dialer that Android users have had for ages. You can enter a contact's name using the number field. For example, if you want to call Mihirjust enter 64447. The system correctly recognizes your contact's name and displays a suggestion at the top. Just tap on it to confirm the full mobile number and click on the call button.
20 Search call history with optimized interactions
The phone app also received two quality of life improvements.
The Latest There is now a call icon next to each entry on the page. Luckily, you have to intentionally select a number to make a call from this screen so you don't trigger embarrassing calls by accidentally tapping it.
Here you can finally search your call list to save yourself the constant scrolling.
19 Collapsible sections and highlighters in notes
The Notes app received several productivity add-ons. You can now create headings within a note and convert them into collapsible sections. There's also a highlighter tool that offers five color options to choose from: purple, pink, orange, mint green, and blue. This will make your text stand out slightly in a long paragraph.
18 Controlling the width of the flashlight beam
Although this is a rare use case, you can change the width of the flashlight via Dynamic Island. When you turn on the flashlight, long tap the dynamic island and move your fingers to change the beam width.
17 Shortcut to on/off switch
Thanks to a virtual power button in the Control Center, you no longer have to remember awkward keyboard shortcuts to trigger the power menu and shut down your phone. You can simply swipe down from the top right corner and tap the power button. The add-on can also be useful if your iPhone's physical power or volume button stops working. Now you can still turn off your phone without any problem.
16 Calendar reminders
Finally, you can see your upcoming reminders along with events right in the Calendar app. When you create a new task with a due date, it will appear in the Calendar app. You can even edit, delete, and complete a reminder in the Calendar app.
15 Monthly view in the calendar
A detailed monthly view is a basic functionality that was missing from the iOS Calendar app. From now on, you can easily zoom in on the yearly view and check out an updated monthly view in action. In the month view, you can now zoom in as much as you like to get more visible details.
When you compose or edit a note in the Notes app, a new attachment menu should appear at the bottom. You can tap it to insert a file, photo, video, scan documents, or scan text. There is also another way to record an audio file and insert it into a note.
If you have an iPhone 12 or later, you can generate live audio transcriptions from an audio file here. It is a useful feature for anyone attending lectures and seminars.
13 Support for math equations and current notes
The Notes app gets two more add-ons that make it a productivity powerhouse. You can simply enter a mathematical expression and enter = at the end to generate results in real time. Whether you want to quickly calculate travel expenses, track monthly subscription fees, or split a dinner bill, simply enter the equation in the Notes app and get an answer without having to leave Notes to use the Calculator app .
The Notes app also tracks your recent notes and allows you to switch between them using the top menu. Tap the three-dot menu at the top, select Recent Notes, and view your previous notes.
12 Rainbow color effect for clock on lock screen
The lock screen received extensive customization features in the previous iOS 17 update. iOS 18 takes the overall experience even further with several new additions. You can now apply a rainbow color effect to the lock screen clock. But unlike other shades, the color effect doesn't extend to lock screen widgets.
11 Customize the lock screen toggles
Your iPhone lock screen can benefit from further customization optimization with Quick Toggles. You are no longer limited to flashlight and camera. You can go to the lock screen customization menu, remove the current switch and add a new one.
It's up to you what you enter here for easy access – you can open a specific app, e.g. E.g. a calculator, an alarm clock, a QR code, an Apple TV remote, a range of accessibility shortcuts, airplane mode, tap for cash (wallet), etc. The company has also opened APIs to third-party developers, and it is up to developers to add support for lock screen toggling for quick access to their applications.
For example, you can now create a new task in Todoist, a new note in OneNote, or access a Spotify playlist directly from the lock screen switches.
Apple introduced a new Journal app with the iOS 17 update last year. iOS 18 brings much-needed improvements to the Journal app on iPhone. It now supports three home screen and six lock screen widgets, allowing you to conveniently create new entries, survey prompts, register your state of mind, and quickly check your streaks.
9 Customize the Photos app like a pro
The Photos app received a major redesign in the iOS 18 update. Your most recent photos appear at the top and other categories like Recents, People & Pets, Pinned Collections, Memories, Travel, Albums, Media Types, and more at the bottom.
You can scroll down and tap Adjust to disable/enable and rearrange all relevant sections as per your preference.
8 Limit battery charge
iPhone 15 users can already limit the device charge to 80%. With iOS 18 you have several options to limit the fee, such as: B. now 85%, 90% or 95%.
7 Generate and share WiFi password QR codes
The newly launched Password app on iPhone has a dedicated section for all your saved WiFi passwords. Apple even went one step further, allowing you to generate a QR code for each Wi-Fi password and discreetly share login information with your guests without revealing your password. If you are a cafe owner, you can simply create a WiFi QR code for your network, print it out, and place it on a counter for your customers.
You can open the Passwords app and go to WiFi In the Network section, select a network and tap Show network QR code. Now ask your recipient to scan it to quickly connect to the Wi-Fi network.
6 Multilingual keyboard
Multilingual keyboard support is another quality of life improvement in iOS 18. It's an essential feature for travelers. You can add another language to your iOS keyboard and type in different languages at the same time. You can go too Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards Call up menu and select Add new keyboard. You can search for a new keyboard and add it to your default iOS keyboard.
Now open any conversation and start typing in your local language. The system should display a translated word at the top of the suggestions menu. For reference, check out the screenshot above where I have added the Hindi language to the default iOS keyboard (English).
5 Hide screenshots and “Shared with you” from the main menu
In addition to a major redesign, the Photos app is getting a new feature that allows you to hide your screenshots and photos shared with you from appearing in the main menu. Simply open the Photos app, tap the filter menu at the bottom, expand View Options, and uncheck the box Screenshots And Shared with you.
4 Useful utilities in the Photos app
Apple has expanded the Utilities menu to include several useful categories that you can view at a glance, such as: B. Receipts, handwriting, illustrations, QR codes, documents and more. Simply open the Photos app, scroll down and open the Utilities menu. Open the category you're looking for and you'll find relevant images in no time.
If you use your iPhone with a light theme, the system will use a white background when you try to edit a photo or video in the Photos app. This might be inconvenient for many who are used to a dark theme when editing media in the Photos app. Fortunately, there is now also the option to switch between light and dark themes directly in the media editor.
When you're editing a photo or video in the Photos app, tap the three-dot menu at the top and expand it Look and select Dark or Light.