9 Hidden iOS 18 Features and Settings You Definitely Want to Know About

Apple is releasing iOS 18 for everybody in the present day, and if you have not had the chance to check out the software program throughout the developer and public beta part, that is your first likelihood to get the newest cell software program replace in your iPhone.

The most recent providing from Apple brings huge modifications to the iPhone, together with extra customization to the lock and residential display, new options to the textual content messages, a devoted app for passwords and a totally redesigned photograph album. 

That is solely what’s on the floor, although.

As all the time, Apple makes an enormous deal of some options, and never a lot about others. And yearly, we undergo the newest iOS and search for any hidden options that are not solely hidden, however that can also and can have an effect on how we use our iPhones every single day. When you’re operating iOS 18, these are a couple of of the hidden options and settings that Apple did not actually speak about, however that it’s best to positively know. 

For extra, listed below are 7 iOS 18 settings you need to change straight away, the right way to again up your iPhone the precise means and why you would possibly need to wait earlier than you replace.

Restart your iPhone from the brand new management middle

You do not have to press any bodily buttons to restart your iPhone in the event you’re operating iOS 18. The redesigned management middle options all of the basic 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 good 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’ll be able to’t simply faucet it although, 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 have to press and maintain the bodily facet button.

Use a QR code to share your Wi-Fi password

There are a couple of methods you possibly can share a Wi-Fi community and password with individuals through your iPhone, and there is a new solution to do it on iOS 18. Utilizing a QR code fills in a couple of gaps for methods to rapidly share your Wi-Fi info:

• Share with a number of individuals without delay. As an alternative of individually sending out your Wi-Fi password, you possibly can 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 except that particular person is in your contacts.
• Share with somebody that has Android. Close by share and AirDrop do not work with Android gadgets.

So in the event you 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 particular person scans the QR code with their digital camera, they’re going to be linked to the Wi-Fi community. 

Regulate the beam width of your flashlight

The flashlight on the iPhone is getting an enormous improve. Whilst you’ve lengthy been capable of change the depth of the flashlight, on iOS 18 now you can additionally regulate the beam width of the sunshine, so long as you’ve gotten a appropriate mannequin. You’ll be able to go extensive, to cowl extra space with much less mild, or go slim, to make use of extra intense mild over much less space, and all over the place in between. It is a enjoyable characteristic to mess around with for lighting individuals for pictures.

To make use of the brand new characteristic, flip in your flashlight (use the lock display or management middle), and a brand new consumer interface will seem within the dynamic island. You’ll be able to change the sunshine depth by swiping up and down, however to alter the beam width, you may have to swipe left and proper. When you faucet anyplace within the dynamic island, you possibly can flip the flashlight on and off.

Notice: This characteristic solely works on iPhone fashions with the dynamic island, together with the ‌iPhone 14‌ Professional, ‌iPhone 14‌ Professional Max, ‌iPhone 15‌, ‌iPhone 15‌ Plus, ‌iPhone 15 Professional‌ and ‌iPhone 15 Professional‌ Max.

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 while you need to discover that one memo you recorded that accommodates the phrase “porcupine.” In iOS 18, although, the app can create transcriptions of your voice memos and seek for phrases that have been beforehand out there solely as audio waveforms.

Within the Voice Memos app, faucet one in all your memos to disclose its controls after which faucet the Edit Recording button, which appears to be like 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 Achieved.

Now, while you use the Search area, the app appears to be like by way of the transcripts along with the titles for outcomes. The textual content can be out there all through iOS – while you carry out a search from the house display, you may see Voice Memos as a class with the memos that embody the search time period (you could have to faucet Present Extra Outcomes to disclose it).

Conceal app labels for a cleaner house display

Is your house display feeling a bit of too cluttered? If that’s the case, this new characteristic may assist. Now with iOS 18, you possibly can do away with app labels, or the names of the apps that you simply see beneath every app icon on your house display. When you can acknowledge an app from simply the icon, who wants the label?

On your house display, press and maintain down on any clean area, till you enter jiggle mode, after which hit Edit > Customise. A menu will seem on the backside of the display; select the Massive possibility, which is able to make your app icons barely bigger and take away the app labels.

Change an app to a widget with out leaving the house display

Not each iOS app has a widget to your house display, but when it does, you need not dig by way of the widget edit web page to seek out it. When you’re operating iOS 18, and there is an app that you simply need to flip right into a widget, you are able to do so in a short time proper from your house display.

On a supported app, press and maintain down on the icon on your house display to convey up the fast 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 alter the app to a widget. If you wish to return from the widget to the app, go to the fast motion menu and hit the app icon on the left.

Secretly establish 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 in management middle. Would not it’s enjoyable to let your mates suppose you’ve got been blessed with an encyclopedic information of pop music?

In iOS 18, you possibly can come shut utilizing the Motion Button (at present out there simply on iPhone 15 Professional fashions). Go to Settings > Motion Button and swipe by way of the choices till Acknowledge Music is chosen.

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 taking part in and identifies the tune. When 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 power to make use of generative AI to take away objects in photographs (coming subsequent month). Apple has additionally tucked a couple of surprises into the app that will help you type by way of your library.

Scroll down previous the primary library itself to view classes resembling Individuals and Pets and Reminiscences till you attain Utilities. Faucet it to view the complete listing – however word {that a} new characteristic of this interface is the power to swipe left to view extra panels. Previous to iOS 18, Utilities included choices to view hidden, lately deleted and duplicate pictures.

Now, it contains many extra choices. Faucet Handwriting to view photographs with handwriting in them. Searching for photographs which might be illustrations and never images? Faucet Illustrations (although in our testing this appears to seize lots of screenshots, too).

Share a particular part of a podcast

Did the hosts of your favourite podcast say one thing particularly humorous or considerate that you simply need to share with somebody? Within the Podcasts app in iOS 18, you possibly can ship an episode to a buddy with the playback superior to that second — however the functionality is not simple to seek out.

Faucet the Now Taking part in bar within the app on the backside of the display 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 beneath the episode title, after which choose From [the current time]. Faucet Achieved.

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].