Apple Didn’t Announce These 5 iOS 18 Features
iOS 18 won’t be released to the general public until this fall, but the public beta has been out for a few weeks now. You can try out all the big new features and settings for iPhone that Apple showed off at WWDC in June. But there’s a lot more to the new iOS than what Apple showed off last month.
Do not miss it: iOS 18 Public Beta Is Here: How to Install It Now
Apple’s latest offering brings major changes to the iPhone, including more personalization options for the lock and home screens, new text messaging features, a dedicated passwords app, and an all-new photo album.
But that’s just what’s visible on the surface.
As always, Apple makes a big deal about some features and not so much about others. And every year, I go through the latest iOS and look for hidden features that are not only hidden, but can actually impact how I use my iPhone every day. If you’re running iOS 18, these are some of the hidden features and settings that Apple hasn’t really talked about, but that you should definitely know about.
Look at this: iOS 18 brings new Tapback features and text via satellite
For more information, check out our iOS 18 beta cheat sheet and read why you might not want to update to the iOS 18 beta just yet.
Restart your iPhone from the new control panel
You don’t have to press any physical buttons to reboot your iPhone if you’re running iOS 18. The redesigned Control Center includes all the classic controls you’re used to, like brightness, volume, orientation, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi, but there are also several new controls, including one to force restart your iPhone.
All you need to do is swipe down from the top right corner of your iPhone and Press and hold the new power button in the upper right corner of the control centerHowever, you can’t just tap it, you have to hold it for about a second, after which the slider to turn off your iPhone will appear.
To turn your iPhone back on, you still need to hold down the physical side button.
On iOS 17 and earlier, you can only restart your iPhone by pressing and holding the volume button and the side button.
Use a QR code to share your WiFi password
There are a few ways to share a Wi-Fi network and password with people using your iPhone, and there’s a new way to do it on iOS 18. A QR code fills in a few gaps for ways to quickly share your Wi-Fi info:
- Share with multiple people at onceInstead of sending out your WiFi password individually, you can have everyone scan the QR code from your phone.
- Share with someone who is not saved as your contact. Nearby sharing via WiFi only works if the person is in your contacts.
- Share with someone who has Android. Nearby sharing and AirDrop do not work with Android devices.
So if you run into any of those scenarios and you don’t want to text them the WiFi password, you can use the QR code. Go to the new Passwords app, go to the Wi-Fi section, tap the network you want to share, then press Show Network QR CodeWhen the other person scans the QR code with their camera, they will be connected to the WiFi network.
This only works for WiFi passwords, not regular passwords.
Adjust the beam width of your flashlight
The flashlight on iPhone is getting a big upgrade. While you’ve long been able to adjust the intensity of the flashlight, iOS 18 now lets you adjust the beam width of the light, as long as you have a compatible model. You can go wide, to cover more area with less light, or go narrow, to focus more light on less area, and everything in between. It’s a fun feature to play with for lighting people in photos.
To use the new feature, turn on your flashlight (either from the lock screen or the control center) and a new UI will appear in the dynamic island. You can change the light intensity by swiping up and down, but To change the width of the beam, swipe left and rightIf you tap anywhere on the dynamic island, you can turn the flashlight on and off.
A wide beam of light from the flashlight (left) and a narrow beam of light (right).
Remark: This feature only works on iPhone models with the Dynamic Island, including the iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Hide app labels for a cleaner home screen
Is your home screen feeling a little cluttered? If so, this new feature can help. Now, iOS 18 lets you remove app labels, or the app names that you see underneath each app icon on your home screen. If you can only identify an app by its icon, who needs labels?
On your home screen, press and hold an empty space until you enter jiggle mode, then press Editing > To adjust. A menu will appear at the bottom of the screen; select the Big option, which makes your app icons slightly larger and removes the app labels.
This will also remove the app labels from the folders in the App Library.
Turn an app into a widget without leaving the home screen
Not every iOS app has a widget for your home screen, but if it does, you don’t have to dig through the widget editor page to find it. If you’re running iOS 18 and there’s an app you want to turn into a widget, you can do so very quickly, right from your home screen.
For a supported app, press and hold the icon on your home screen to open the quick actions menu. If the app has a widget, you’ll see an app icon alongside several widget icons (up to three). Tap one of the widget icons to turn the app into a widgetIf you want to switch back from the widget to the app, go to the shortcut menu and click on the app icon on the left.
This only works for apps with widgets on iOS.
