iOS 18 Best Features That We Liked and You Will Too

Apple has just unveiled iOS 18 at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), introducing significant changes to how you use your iPhone.

This update promises to customize your iPhone in more ways than ever before, helping you stay connected with friends and family and relive your favorite moments. Additionally, with Apple Intelligence, your everyday tasks become even more seamless.

Here are the top iOS 18 features we liked, and you probably will, too.

1. Home Screen Customization

Customizations have been eagerly anticipated, and they’re finally here. Now, you have the freedom to place icons and widgets anywhere on the screen, leaving space to appreciate your wallpaper.

Moreover, you can customize icon colors just like the material theme icons on Google Pixel. Whether you prefer darker tones, tinted hues, or iOS-suggested colors, the choice is yours. You can even match them with specific colors from your wallpaper.

Additionally, you can increase the icon size by one level and remove labels. Creating widgets directly from the app shortcut is also possible now. Plus, many of these widgets are resizable, offering even more flexibility.

2. New Control Center

The Control Center has received an update, sporting a fresh look.

Now, the new Control Center comprises three pages: one for control options, another for media playback, and a third for all essential toggles. A neat feature is the ability to seamlessly swipe from the home screen to switch between them.

At the top right corner of the Control Center, you’ll find the power-off button. Furthermore, pressing and holding on empty space allows you to customize the size of any control, rearrange them, and add even more controls.

The cherry on top is that third-party apps can now integrate their controls here, adding a whole new level of usefulness.

You can also include multiple customizable pages in the Control Center, with a maximum limit of around 15 pages.

You might also check the NUU B20 5G specs & quick review.

3. Lock Screen and Action Button Controls

You can now customize the lock screen shortcuts to your favorite one. There’s a plethora of options and apps to choose from for these shortcuts.

What’s even more exciting is the ability to assign any task you desire to the action button. This button can open any app, call your favorite person, play recently listened to music, and even trigger any shortcut you’ve set up.

4. Lock and Hide Apps

Locking and hiding apps can be a real lifesaver for many, and now this option has finally made its way to iPhones with iOS 18.

In iOS 18, locking and hiding apps is a straightforward process. Here’s how you can do it:

• Simply press and hold on any app on the home screen. Then, select “Require Face ID.” That’s all it takes.

• To hide the app, follow the same steps, but when a pop-up window appears, select “Hide and Require Face ID.” Another pop-up will appear prompting you about app notifications; click on “Hide app.”

To access the hidden apps, navigate to the App Library by scrolling to the far right of the home page, then go to the bottom where you’ll find the “Hidden Folder.” It’s that easy.

You can also check the iPhone 16 specs and new features.

5. Phone App Updates

The Phone app now supports T9 dialing, allowing you to simply type the first digits of any contact and find it quickly without having to type the entire number.

Moreover, the app also allows call recording with announcement or a beep, along with transcription capabilities.

6. Game Mode

In iOS 18, the Game Mode minimizes background activities to maximize frame rates. It’s also designed to reduce latency with AirPods and enhance compatibility with game controls.

7. New Photo App

The Photo app in iOS 18 has undergone a significant change. It no longer has multiple pages. Instead, it features different tabs that display filtered photos by year, month and all formats.

Moreover, you can now hide screenshots from the photo grid.

When you swipe up, you’ll find categories such as photos from recent dates, people and pets, pinned collections, memories, trips, and more. Additionally, the app displays video previews for your photos.

All of these categories present your photos in beautiful collages, reminiscent of what you see on Instagram.

How does Samsung’s new Color E-Paper TV consume no power? Click here to find out.

8. Messages Features

Messages in iOS 18 have received a plethora of exciting new features. You now have text formatting options, but it’s the text effects that steal the show. Effects like Shake, Nod, Ripple, Bloom, and others are incredibly fun to use.

The tapback feature now offers more options, allowing you to use any emojis you desire.

Additionally, you can now schedule messages, which is a big plus for those who tend to forget birthdays and other important dates. In case of emergencies, messaging via satellite is also available.

While the option is not yet available, iOS 18 can support RCS messages, promising even more enhanced messaging experiences in the future.

9. Passwords App

iOS 18 introduces a new app called Passwords, which securely stores all your passwords, passkeys, Wi-Fi passwords, codes, and security information.

Moreover, this app makes it easy to share these passwords with your family members.

10. New Siri and Apple Intelligence

Siri has received new visual changes and enhancements, making it even more efficient. Additionally, it will support ChatGPT in the future.

Apple Intelligence (AI) is Apple’s innovative AI system, designed to streamline your daily usage.

In the latest version, new writing tools and language capabilities assist you in writing, summarizing longer texts, and prioritizing notifications.

For instance, if you write a note, select all the text, and click ‘rewrite,’ the AI will refine your words to give you a more professional tone. You can also create your own images and craft Genmojis for conversations.

Furthermore, if you come across an image, whether it’s art or a vector graphic, you can circle it, and the AI will generate a real-life version of that object.

How to enable and use Eye-Tracking on iOS 18? Find out here.

Changes Apple Did Not Talk About

• You’ll find new iOS 18 wallpapers included, and they’re quite appealing.
• When you press the volume, action, or even power button, you’ll notice subtle animations. This could hint at Apple’s potential shift from mechanical to capacitive buttons in upcoming iPhones.
• The torch animation in the Control Center has been updated.
• Each setting page now features a banner at the top describing its functions.
• The iCloud page has been redesigned for better organization.
• Moreover, you can now set a charging limit between 80 and 100%.
• You can make private payments by bringing iPhone devices together.

Buy 1 NUU B20 5G Smartphone, Get 1 Free. Here’s How.

More Features Coming in the Next Beta

In the upcoming beta versions of iOS 18, you can expect to see more features, though these changes may be subtle.

Typically, the initial beta versions offer a glimpse of the significant changes, as we’ve already seen in the first beta version of iOS 18.

It remains to be seen what new features Apple will introduce in the later beta versions of iOS 18.

Conclusion

Android users may find most of these features nothing new, but Apple users have been eagerly awaiting these additions for years.

Finally, you can customize your iPhone to a significant degree and tailor it to your preferences.

While AI still requires significant improvements, it’s expected to get better over time, particularly with the integration of ChatGPT.

Overall, iOS 18 promises to be a notably significant upgrade over iOS 17.