During the recent WWDC24 event, Apple introduced iOS 18 and some other software, but as before, iOS is still the focus. The feature I’m most looking forward to on iOS is Apple Intelligence, which is currently not available on the iOS 18 dev beta version, so within the scope of this article, I will briefly share my experiences with other changes on iOS. iOS 18.
Home screen overhaul
So, after much speculation, the iPhone ‘s home screen has been overhauled with some new changes, now you can do the following:
Place the application icon anywhere on the Home screen, so you can arrange it into the words you like, which can be your name.
You can change the color of those icons, but currently I don’t think it has too many customizations.
Change the home screen interface to darkmode, specifically the default application icons to a darker interface
As for Widgets, you can resize and add some new widgets
Customize lock screen: function can be changed
For the lock screen, you can only choose function 1 for flash and 2 for camera, but on iOS 18 you can change that. You can assign many other functions to the previous 2 positions that you cannot change.
For example, if you are a seller, you can assign the calculator application directly to the lock screen to activate it faster.
Control Center has been redesigned to be more beautiful and softer
Control Center is also one of the parts that Apple has redesigned the most, the icons are more rounded and at the same time it is also displayed more prominently. In addition to a little tweaking of the interface, its features are still the same. just like that.
In the interface when you turn on the flash, it will have a new animation. You can increase or decrease the brightness with a bar on that animation. In general, it makes your smallest operations become easier. It should be more fun, it won’t help too much.
In addition, Control Center also has other changes such as you can resize tools and add many other tools that were not available before. The Control Center interface is now also divided into many different pages, but for me this does not help me at all, but also makes the Control Center interface more confusing.
Locking App with FaceID: something many people look forward to
To lock an app, you just need to hold down on an application and select Required Face ID, it will confirm your Face ID once and then lock that app with FaceID, simple operation. What a cumbersome and complicated thing.
Changed the Animation a bit
I have the feeling that the Animation of Apple’s default applications has changed a bit, it feels smoother and more elegant. What I notice most is that the application I use every day is Apple News. Its news opening effect is now smoother, more consistent, and not stalled like before.
The Settings application has been rearranged to be more compact and easier to use
Currently, the arrangement of the Settings application has been changed almost completely and may partly affect your usage habits. Specifically, the battery has been moved up to lie with the wifi and network cluster instead of below as before. The notification settings are now also moved deeper down, under general settings, this is correct, I really don’t touch that group at all.
In addition, Apple ID has also changed to Apple Account. The general settings section is also divided into more reasonable sections. The change I see the most is the expansion of the battery charging limit. Previously, you were only limited to 80% or turned it off, but now you can customize it more, 85%, 90, 95, 100%.
Messages app: adds more fun features to iMessage
The messaging application is also one of the applications with the most changes on iOS 18. In terms of interface, I feel like its edges have been softened. Besides the interface, iMessage is also equipped with a few other features such as new reactions, message sending effects and message sending timer.
Effects of sending messages
If you want to choose a message effect, you can select the letter A icon on the right side of the keyboard. At this time, many effects will appear for you to use. You can choose each effect for each idea you want to convey to your friends, also fun and lively.
Schedule time to send messages
In addition, if you want to schedule a message, click on the + sign and select send later. At this time, a box will appear so you can choose the time to send that message. This will be suitable for those of you who need to text someone else at night but are afraid of being bothered and afraid that when you wake up in the morning you will forget. At that time, you can set the message you compose to send at 6-7am or so. Avoid disturbing others at night.
Updated Calculator application: has more complex math methods, writing problems for the machine to solve itself
The computer application lives up to the rumors with many new features and upgrades, the first being the more complex calculation interface, Scientific. With Scientific, you will have many other popular calculation methods such as Sin, Cos, Tan, etc. To access, you just need to select the calculator icon in the lower right corner.
In addition to equipping a more complex calculator, Apple also equips the new calculator application with a feature called Math Notes so you can use your hand or pen to write down math problems, and it will solve the problem for you. me. I encourage you to use this feature on iPad and Apple Pencil instead of on iPhone. This feature is on the dev beta version so it will not be stable yet, anyone who tries it should take note.
The Notes application has additional audio recording and text extraction features
Inside the Notes application you can now use the recording and extract text from your voice, later with Apple Intelligence you can also summarize that text.
This will be suitable for those who often have meetings, use many note-taking applications and also need to record audio. Currently, I see this feature still mainly recognizes English.
The Photos application has received major changes, viewing photos in a different way
The Photos application is also one of the applications that has many changes in iOS 18, it changes the way you view and find photos before. Currently, the main interface of Photos will not be divided into many tabs like before, but will be gathered into one place like a page, above displaying the photos you have taken recently and below displaying Albums and default folders. Other plans and interesting Memories that Apple has created for you.
You can also customize the arrangement of components in this app. I think Apple’s arrangement is ok, so I don’t touch it. The Memories is still as great as on previous iOS operating systems, you can quickly view photos, and it also creates short videos for you so you can quickly upload them to social networks, note that the photos in Memories are arranged according to their understanding. They may not be to your liking, but you can edit them to suit you best.
Added to the Password app: easier password management
This is a new application on iOS 18, the purpose of its creation is to help you manage your passwords easier and smarter. If previously the Password was arranged as a string inside the settings, now it is clearly divided into each characteristic such as: WiFi, Code, Passkey,…
This application is now also available. Available on iPadOS and macOS , I don’t pay much attention to this application because normally no matter where I need to log in, the Apple keyboard will directly suggest the account to be logged into (rarely wrong).
Eyes Tracking: feature for people with disabilities
Another feature that I see few people mentioning is the Eyes Tracking feature. This feature is mainly aimed at people with disabilities, but because it made me curious, I also wanted to try it. If you want to try it, you can go to settings, find accessibility, select Eyes Tracking, when it turns on it will ask you to look at the bright spots on the screen to detect your eyes, I see how to do it. This setup is quite similar to Apple Vision Pro.
In fact, my experience with it was quite difficult and it didn’t leave much of an impression after sitting for about 15 minutes. And I also think its actual use will be very difficult. Maybe it’s currently on dev beta so it doesn’t work well, let’s wait for other updated versions. Just the latest information about iOS 18 that I have experienced from yesterday until now. What impressed me the most during the event as I mentioned was Apple Intelligence, not these small upgrades. But I’m also impressed with the feature of writing down a calculation and having it calculate for me. As for you guys, what features are you impressed with in iOS 18?
