Apple Releases Public Beta of iOS 18 for iPhone, Here Are the New Features

Apple has released a public beta of iOS 18, giving iPhone users an early look at the upcoming software update, which is expected to be released in full this fall. While the beta includes several UI changes and app updates, the most anticipated feature — Apple Intelligence — is not yet available for testing.

The iOS 18 public beta is available for iPhone models from 2018, including the iPhone XS and newer. Users can download it by going to Settings > General > Software Update and selecting iOS 18 Public beta.

Apple recommends only installing beta software on secondary devices due to potential bugs and compatibility issues.

iOS 18: What’s new for iPhone usersiOS 18 introduces significant customization options for the iPhone interface. Users can now place app icons anywhere on the Home screen, including around borders to display wallpapers. The Control Center has been rebuilt with multiple customizable pages. App icons can be uniformly changed to Dark Mode or a single color scheme.

Other visual updates include more colorful news responses in the News app and a redesigned Photos app that uses AI to automatically organize photos into albums and tours. The Safari browser now offers article summaries and automatically generated tables of contents.

However, Apple Intelligence, the company’s new AI assistant announced in June, is not included in this initial public beta. Apple says the feature will be available for testing later this summer, followed by an official launch in the fall. Apple Intelligence is expected to bring conversational AI features similar to ChatGPT, image generation, and improved Siri functionality.

The AI ​​features are expected to work on newer iPhone models, likely the iPhone 15 series and the latest iPads with M1 processors or newer.

Additionally, there’s satellite text messaging for supported iPhone models when cellular coverage is unavailable, call transcription, a dedicated password app, and the ability to transfer money by touching two iPhones together.

In addition to iOS 18, Apple also released public beta versions of iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and watchOS 11. The stable version for all operating systems is expected to be released in September.