There’s a lot to iOS 18, it may make your head spin.
You in all probability already learn about a number of the main options, like customizing your house display screen, formatting textual content messages and enhancements to Maps. There are additionally all of the Apple Intelligence options.
That is not the whole lot that iOS 18 has to supply. There are many new settings that are not publicized, in order that they keep underneath the radar, however that does not imply they are not necessary.
These are all of the hidden iOS 18 options it is best to learn about.
For extra, listed here are seven iOS 18 settings you wish to change instantly, how one can again up your iPhone the right manner and how one can repair 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 operating 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 is advisable to 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 possibly can’t simply faucet it; it’s a must 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 solution to restart your iPhone is to press and maintain both quantity button and the aspect button.
Use a QR code to share your Wi-Fi password
There are just a few methods you’ll be able to share a Wi-Fi community and password with folks through your iPhone, and there is a new solution to do it on iOS 18. Utilizing a QR code fills in just a few gaps for tactics to rapidly share your Wi-Fi info:
- Share with a number of folks directly. 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 cellphone.
- Share with somebody not saved as your contact. Close by share for Wi-Fi does not work until that particular person is in your contacts.
- Share with somebody who has Android. Close by share and AirDrop do not work with Android gadgets.
Watch this: 11 Hidden Options in iOS 18
So if you happen to meet any of these eventualities and you do not wish to textual content the Wi-Fi password to them, you need to use the QR code. Go to the brand new Passwords app, go to the Wi-Fi part, faucet on the community you wish to share after which hit Present Community QR Code. If the opposite particular person scans the QR code with their digital camera, they’re going to be linked to the Wi-Fi community.
This solely works for Wi-Fi passwords, not common passwords.
Alter the beam width of your flashlight
The flashlight on the iPhone is getting an enormous improve. You’ve got 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 may have a suitable mannequin. You possibly can go large, to cowl extra space with much less gentle, or go slender, to make use of extra intense gentle over much less space, and all over the place in between. It is a enjoyable characteristic to mess around with for lighting folks for pictures.
To make use of the brand new characteristic, flip in your flashlight (use the lock display screen or management middle), and a brand new consumer interface will seem within the dynamic island. You possibly can 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 wherever 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 characteristic 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 tune snippets, however they’ve all the time been obfuscated. You may give them a descriptive title, however that does not assist once you wish 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 obtainable 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 precise 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 Executed.
Take an current voice memo (left) and create a transcript of the recording (proper).
Now, once you use the Search area, the app appears by means of the transcripts along with the titles for outcomes. The textual content can also be obtainable all through iOS. While you carry out a search from the house display screen, you may see Voice Memos as a class with the memos that embrace 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 house display screen feeling somewhat too cluttered? In that case, this new characteristic may 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 house display screen. In case you can acknowledge an app from simply the icon, who wants the label?
On your house 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 Massive choice, which is able to make your app icons barely bigger and take away the app labels.
This may even 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 on 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 operating iOS 18, and there is an app that you just wish to flip right into a widget, you are able to do so in a short time proper from your house display screen.
On a supported app, press and maintain down on the icon on your house display screen to deliver up the short actions menu. If the app has a widget, you may see an app icon subsequent to quite a lot 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 tune 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 within the management middle. Would not it’s enjoyable to let your pals assume you’ve got been blessed with an encyclopedic information 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 characteristic 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 take heed to what’s enjoying and determine the tune. In case you’re sneaky about activating Shazam and peeking at your cellphone, nobody must know you bought some assist from a supercomputer within the cloud.
Discover photographs with handwriting and illustrations within the Images app
Loads is altering within the Images app in iOS 18, from the way in which issues are organized to the flexibility to make use of generative AI to take away objects in photographs. Apple has additionally tucked just a few surprises into the app that will help you type by means of your library.
Scroll down previous the primary library itself to view classes corresponding to Folks and Pets and Recollections till you attain Utilities. Faucet it to view the total checklist — however observe {that a} new characteristic of this interface is the flexibility to swipe left to view extra panels. Previous to iOS 18, Utilities included choices to view hidden, not too long ago deleted and duplicate pictures.
Now, it consists of many extra choices. Faucet Handwriting to view photographs with handwriting in them. On the lookout for photographs which might be illustrations and never images? Faucet Illustrations (though in our testing this appears to seize a variety of screenshots too).
View photographs that comprise handwriting in your Images library in iOS 18.
Share a particular part of a podcast
Did the hosts of your favourite podcast say one thing particularly humorous or considerate that you just wish 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 simple to seek out.
Faucet the Now Enjoying 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 wish 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 Executed.
Begin by sharing the episode itself.
Lastly, select the tactic of sharing, corresponding to 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.