At the beginning of June, Apple released iOS 18 beta 1. Full of new features, BGR mentioned what Apple announced during the WWDC 2024 keynote, such as a redesigned Home Screen and customizable Lock Screen, among other changes.
As the beta cycle continues, we keep adding the latest features available for iOS 18.
iOS 18 beta 2 features
iPhone Mirroring: One of the biggest crossover features between macOS Sequoia and iOS 18 is iPhone Mirroring. With this function on, you can control your iPhone using your Mac.
RCS support: Apple is now being more straightforward about its RCS support. In Messages settings, the company has a new RCS Messaging toggle you can turn on. However, messages are still sent as SMS—the company is working to fix this issue.
Control Center’s Power Button: Apple tweaked the power button on the Control Center to only work when held instead of tapped. We think this is a hint at a hardware change with the upcoming iPhone 16 models.
SharePlay screen sharing: Users can now take over other people’s iPhones when helping them using SharePlay screen sharing.
Home Screen changes: Apple now lets you make your wallpaper dark, and there is a new App Store icon for those moments.
iOS 18 beta 3 features
A couple of weeks after iOS 18 beta 2 was released, Apple seeded a new update. Here’s what’s new:
More darker icons: Even third-party apps get a darker icon, such as YouTube, Telegram, etc.
Emojis get a new design: Ahead of Genmoji’s release, Apple tweaked the design of the emoji selection. They now appear bigger, and the Recents tab also shows your custom emojis. This change was reverted with a revised beta 3 build.
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Photos app tweaks: The Select and Search buttons now appear constantly. In addition, photos no longer have a rounded border.
Dynamic wallpaper: Apple wallpaper now changes dynamically throughout the day, cycling through all of the color options so you don’t have to pick just one.
New flashlight UX: Apple tweaked the flashlight animation, and it looks more polished now.
iOS 18 beta 4 features
A week after seeding a revised build of beta 3, Apple has released beta 4. Here are the top changes:
iPhone Mirroring: This macOS Sequoia-iOS 18 feature now lets you resize the iPhone window on your Mac’s display.
Hidden Folder tweak: It now appears as blanked-out app squares instead of an eye with a line through it.
CarPlay wallpapers: Apple added eight new CarPlay wallpapers with the latest beta.
Settings app gets new options: Apple had added an iCloud option alongside the App Store, Game Center, and Wallet sections.
iOS 18 beta 5 features
Even after releasing iOS 18.1 beta 1 with Apple Intelligence features, Apple continues to test iOS 18 with beta 5. There are two main features with this update:
Photos app: Apple has removed the Carousel from the Photos app. The company has also tweaked the “All Photos” section, with more images appearing on the photos grid. The “Recent Days” tab also includes “Recently Saved.”
Distraction Control: Safari gets a new Distraction Control feature. In the Reader toggle, you can find a new “Hide Distracting Items.” Apple says this doesn’t work as an ad blocker, but it helps hide distractful items from a page.
iOS 18 beta 6 features
With iOS 18 beta 6, Apple continues to tweak this upcoming operating system update:
Control Center: Apple added new toggles to the Control Center, including an exclusive Bluetooth icon and a new Capture section.
Apple Music changes: The Browse tab is now called “New.”
Apple has also tweaked other features in Settings and Photos and added new screens when you first open the Photos app, the Translate app, and more.
Supported devices
With iOS 17, Apple ditched the iPhone 8 and iPhone X models from its lineup. With iOS 18, Apple continues to offer support for all the same iPhone models. That means there are no additional iPhones in 2024 that will reach the end of their life cycles.
That said, these are the iPhone models that can run this new system:
- iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (2nd gen)
- iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (3rd gen)
- iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus
- iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus
- iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max
