iOS 18 public beta released, Apple’s original password app, Home screen and Control Center customization, revamped Photos and Calculator, but no Apple Intelligence

WWDC24 will take place in June 2024, so I installed it on my iPhone to attend.

Apple beta version
https://beta.apple.com/pl

iOS 18 Public Beta Now Available, Here Are All the New Features – 9to5Mac
https://9to5mac.com/2024/07/15/ios-18-public-beta-now-available-features/

Apple releases public betas of iOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and more – The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/15/24198912/ios-18-public-beta-now-available-iphone-apple-intelligence-siri-software-update

To install the iOS 18 public beta, you must register your Apple ID in the Apple Beta Software Program. Visit Apple Beta Software Program Page and click “Register”.

Log in with your Apple ID.

Click “I accept”. Registration is now OK.

Open “Settings” on your iPhone while logged in with your registered Apple ID and select “General.”

Click “Software Update.”

The “Beta Update” option will appear, click on it.

Select “iOS 18 Public Beta”.

Then you will have access to the iOS 18 public beta, so tap “Update Now”. However, the public beta is not an official release and may contain bugs, so just in case, back up your iPhone and proceed at your own risk.

I managed to install the public beta of iOS 18. The appearance of the icons has clearly changed.

Press and hold the home screen to go to the editing screen, then tap “Customize.”

Next, you can customize the icons that appear on your home screen. Select “Dark” to display app icons in a dark design.

If you select the “Light” option, the app icon will have a light design.

If you select the “Color Match” option, the app icon will be designed in a single color of your choice on a black background.

You can also choose between small and large app sizes. If you choose large, the app icon will be slightly larger and the app title will be hidden.

You can also arrange app icons freely. As shown below, you can arrange apps according to the photo you set as wallpaper.

Then swipe from the top right corner of the screen to bring up the Control Center.

A submenu will appear on the right, and when you select the note icon, the Apple Music control panel will appear.

In addition, if you select the antenna icon, a communication-related panel will appear. Unlike the conventional control panel, you can access AirDrop settings, Wi-Fi selection, Bluetooth, Internet sharing, and VPN from the Control Center, so you don’t have to open “Settings” every time.

You can now freely customize the control panel, including communication and music modules, brightness, volume, and many other settings that were previously uneditable.

You can also expand the control panel icons to 1×2 or 2×2. To change the icon size, tap the red frame in the lower right corner of the icon.

Previously, you could quickly access the flashlight and camera from the lock screen, but with iOS 18, you can now choose which features you want quick access to.

You can choose from a wide range of controls.

I set the “Camera” to the left and the “Voice Memo” to the right. It’s nice to be able to pin apps you want to access quickly to the lock screen and access them with a single tap.

The Photos app has been given a major makeover, with Apple calling it the “biggest update in the app’s history.” First and foremost, the tabs at the bottom are gone, replaced by a simplified, single-view layout. In addition to the regular photo library, there are now “Collections,” which iOS automatically organizes.

The collection can be personalized to your liking.

The Journal app now works with the Health app, so you can add journaling time to your mindful minutes.

The “Calculator” app has also been significantly updated. Previously, it only supported basic calculations such as arithmetic operations and unit conversions, but new functions have been added. Click the calculator icon that has been added to the lower left corner.

In addition to the existing “Basic” feature, “Scientific Calculations” and “Calculation Notes” have been added.

“Scientific calculation” is a function of the so-called function calculator.

And “Calculation Memo” is a conventional “Memo” app with a calculation function added. As a test, I tried to manually enter “5 + 3 =”.

It then automatically recognized the problem as “5 + 3” and displayed the “Fix Problem” button.

Once clicked, the response was automatically handwritten.

The “Opinions” and “Passwords” apps were added with the iOS 18 public beta update.

“Feedback” is not a new feature in iOS 18, but an app that you install when you join the Apple Beta Software Program and install the beta. It allows you to submit feedback directly to Apple.

And new in iOS 18 is Apple’s own “Passwords” app. Click “Continue.”

Click “Continue.”

Click “Allow.”

The Passwords app lets you manage the passwords and passkeys registered to iCloud.

The iOS 18 public beta also includes an “Enhanced Messages app,” RCS Support ,,iPhone Screen Mirroring on macOS Sequoia”, ,,Adding Highlights to Safari”, ,,Improved Game Performance”, ,,Apple Wallet Update”, ,,Home App and HomeKit Update”, ,,Accessibility Improvements”, and ,,Security Feature Update”. However, at the time of this writing, ,, Apple Intelligence which integrates artificial intelligence with Apple systems, including iOS, is not included.

For more information on the new iOS 18 features announced at WWDC24, check out the article below.

Here comes ‘iOS 18’, a more flexible operating system that lets you freely arrange app icons and customize them with your preferred colors – GIGAZINE