Apple’s iOS 18: All about iPhone’s latest software update  

Apple's iOS 18 beta review: new control center, app icon customizations, password manager, math notes, and UI changes.

Apple released a public beta of its iOS 18 last week. We tested the latest version of the software from the iPhone, and here’s what we think about the latest version of the software that soon hit iPhones later this year. We’ll start with customisations.

iOS 18 will welcome users with an updated control centre. And when you enter the new control centre, you will instantly notice that the single pull-down page is a thing of the past. The updated control centre comes with two new controls that can be moved around and set according to the user’s preference. Additionally, there are two new pages that can be accessed by swiping up. These provide access to media playback options and a page dedicated entirely to network settings. The number of pages changes to include quick access to apps that have music playing in the background.

iOS 18 will bring you the long-awaited ability to place app icons and widgets wherever you please. But there is an underlying grid to which icons snap, making it impossible to place an app icon in the centre of the screen. An edit button at top-left corner will allow you to customise icon size, toggle between dark and light modes for icon and widget packs and add tints. But the tint option may not go down well as it was difficult to find a tint colour that does not make the icons look either washed out or just a darker version of the chosen colour. Other minor changes include tweaks to the recently called screen and the display of power and volume buttons on the side of the bezels.

With this update, you can view images based on “Years, Months, and All”. Also, the app will allow you to search for images based on descriptions within the application. During our test, we found the search function to work quite well with well-thought-out keywords. Images can be retrieved based on information such as when they were taken, location, a description of the subject, and names of individuals if users have previously added them within the app.

Apple is introducing a dedicated password manager app with iOS 18. The functionalities provided by the app are like those already existing within settings. However, it could be cumbersome to search for it. Now, the app, which can be unlocked using Face ID, stores all your passwords and passkeys, and provides information about passwords that may have appeared in data leaks or have been reused on multiple sites.

Math notes, a feature previously thought to be limited to the iPad, is also making its way to the iPhone. In Notes, you can simply write math equations, and as soon as you type in ‘equals to’ sign at the end, Notes will solve the equation for you and display the result in your own handwriting. This feature, though, is limited to the iPhone 15 Pro models.

Notes can be accessed within the Calculator app by tapping on the calculator in the bottom left corner, which also brings up the options to use a scientific calculator and convert currencies.