iPhone fans reveal 6 game-changing features after installing Apple’s free iOS 18 preview – how to get it on yours now
IPHONE superfans have already downloaded the brand new iOS update months before general release.
Anyone can download the iOS 18 preview to test out fresh features for free.
Not everything is available just yet – notably some of the new Apple Intelligence AI tools that are expected to follow a little later are missing.
But fans have been raving about their favourites, including changes to the Home Screen and a secret folder for your sensitive apps.
Home Screen
One of the big changes Apple revealed when announcing iOS 18 was the ability to customise the Home Screen better than before.
You can now freely move app icons wherever you like and even add a bit of a colour theme to them all too.
“My Home Screen looks sooo different,” one user wrote on X.
“My “dark mode” iPhone home screen looks sexy AF (via iOS 18 public beta), and you can’t tell me otherwise,” another said.
Control Centre
The Control Centre is also more customisable now.
You can finally do basic tasks like re-ordering icons, as well as resizing them as you wish.
It’s also possible to delete the ones you don’t use much.
Even the torch has had a revamp, with more control over how you light up the room.
All-new Photos app
The Photos app has receive a big revamp as part of iOS 18.
It’s gone through a complete redesign so you can find the best pictures and videos more easily.
Collections allow you to keep specific content tidily in one place too.
Messages app
Users can change the text to make it bold or italics, as well as sending emoji reactions.
It’s also possible to switch on RCS messaging, which means you will see typing indicators and delivery status messages for texts when they’re sent to friends using Android.
Lock and hide apps
iPhone owners can hide and lock specific apps they want to keep private in iOS 18.
These can be tucked away in a hidden apps folder.
And you’ll need to use Face ID to unlock them.
Password manager
Apple is changing how it looks after your passwords by turning the feature into a standalone app.
This will make it easier for users to summon login details across their devices.
iOS 18 how to download – joining the beta
The iOS 18 public beta helps Apple detect and squash any bugs, but it's also great if you want to try the new update early.
This is free (and fairly simple) to download.
Just go to the Apple Beta page here, then register and enrol your iPhone.
Then you can go to Settings > General > Software Update and install the iOS Public Beta once it’s out.
But be warned: test software can be buggy, so make sure to back your device up before installing the iOS 18 public beta.