iOS 18 public beta lets you try out new iPhone features early

Apple has released a beta version of iOS 18, which isn’t expected to get a full roll-out until September, when the new iPhones are announced .

This isn’t the first beta Apple has produced, but it is the first “public” beta. It means the software is largely fit for the more tech-savvy Apple fan, where earlier developer builds are even more work-in-progress efforts.

The bad news is this iOS 18 beta doesn’t yet include what many want to try out most: Apple Intelligence . That won’t come until later this year.

Apple’s iOS 18 beta feature does feature plenty of other new stuff, though. Here are some of the highlights.

iPhone 18 features

Home-screen customisation

iPhone home screens are now more like those of Android. You can drop widgets wherever you like, making them repositories of useful info as well as just a space for apps.

You might place a weather report widget here, or enlarge the clock face, for example.

Home screens can now also be dyed. It’s the low-fuss equivalent to arranging your apps in colour order. You can pick any colour you like.

The first reason for this is to give your home screens a new sort of visual coherence. But it also might stop eyes being immediately drawn to the icons of apps you’re actively trying to use less, like social networks.

iOS 18’s beta also lets you pick the “dark” versions of app icons.

Control Center’s revamp

Adding to the customisation-heavy flavour, Control Center is now a lot more flexible. iOS 18 provides control over what goes into the dashboard, which is where you control screen brightness, toggle Wi-Fi and so on.

The new version of Control Center now supports adjustable size toggles, and there are a load more controls on offer, too. There’s a “+” button that allows users to change what goes into the panel.

Animated text messages

We can remember English teachers saying good writing shouldn’t need bold or italic font to get the message across. But then, about 75 per cent of Shakespeare tragedies are about the equivalent of someone misinterpreting a text message, so maybe iOS 18’s text animations will be useful after all.

In Messages, you can now make text shake, ripple, jitter, explode, bloom or nod. Whether it’s used to express excitement or passive aggression is up to you.

Maps is better for walks and hikes

iOS 18 is getting better for walkers as well. The baked-in Maps app lets you save walking and hiking routes, for use offline. It already had downloadable map areas, and this latest addition makes Maps feel more like one of the apps made specifically for exercising and adventuring.

This is further enhanced by topographic map data, providing better mapping when you’re out in the countryside rather than in town.

All it really means is you may not have to download an additional app the next time you go for a long, planned, walk. But it’s a nice-to-have feature.

Locked and hidden apps

Handy for families, adulterers and all sorts of other folks, iOS 18 now lets you hide and lock apps.

Hidden apps end up in a special folder that doesn’t appear on the main part of your home screens. Locked apps just require a security check to run. In either case, iOS 18 asks for a Face ID scan to unlock access.

How to install the iOS 18 beta

Apple makes it super-easy to get hold of these beta versions of iOS. The most arduous part is signing up for the beta software programme.

This is done over at the Apple website , and simply requires logging in using an Apple ID.

The iOS 18 beta is then selected through the iPhone itself, within Settings > General > Software Update. Once signed up for the beta programme, the option to install beta software should appear here. Just make sure to install the public beta, not the “dev” one.

Alongside iOS 18, Apple has released beta versions of macOS , tvOS, iPadOS and watchOS.

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