iOS 18 public beta hands-on review: A work in progress

Evaluating iOS 18 at this point is an exercise in waiting for the other shoe to drop. Though the iOS 18 public beta is now available for download and ready to install on any supported iPhone, it's missing some rather critical features at this point in the form of Apple Intelligence.

That's Apple's description of the AI-powered features that are coming to some iPhones later this year. Apple Intelligence is highlighted by a much more intelligent Siri that can handle more complex tasks, but there are also image generation tools, writing suggestions and smarter notification summaries that promise to make it easier to get things done from the comfort of your iPhone. And as of this release of the iOS 18 public beta, none of those features are here.

They're coming, mind you — Apple expects to launch its AI push at some point during the summer, though rumors suggest some of the Siri upgrades may not be fully realized until 2025. Plus, it’s worth noting that you need an A17 Pro-powered iPhone or later to support Apple Intelligence. That limits these features to the iPhone 15 Pro models that came out last fall

In the meantime, we're left to talk about iOS 18, which feels like reviewing the concert based on the warmup acts while the headliner is still chilling in the green room.

Apple will likely bristle at that metaphor, since iOS 18 is a fairly full-featured update in its own right, with plenty of enhancements and new capabilities. If you don't have an iPhone capable of running Apple Intelligence features — and that's a lot of us, actually — iOS 18 delivers a lot of positive changes. In this iOS 18 hands-on, I'll share some initial impressions of the software update, having explored it on an iPhone 14 the past few weeks.

iOS 18 compatibility: What iPhones support iOS 18?

Apple Intelligence may be limited to select models when it arrives later this summer, but the iOS 18 update as a whole takes a much broader approach. Any phone that could run iOS 17 will be able to upgrade to the new iOS version. So that means if you have an iPhone XR/XS/XS Max or newer, you’re still good to upgrade, and that includes the 2020 and 2022 editions of the iPhone SE.

That said, as with past iOS updates, some iOS 18 features will require more recent hardware. For instance, you'll need an iPhone 12 or later to take advantage of the new audio transcription tools in the Notes and Phone apps, while a TV feature that boosts dialogue so that it's more audible requires at least an iPhone 11. We've got a summary of which iOS 18 features have specific hardware requirements, as well as ones that are restricted to specific regions.

iOS 18 home screen customization: A new look, again

Apple Intelligence may not be a part of the current iOS 18 public beta, but this version of the software does introduce a fairly significant change to the look of your iPhone's home screen. And it's a feature anyone able to run iOS 18 on their iPhone can enjoy.

You can now customize the look of your home screen, forsaking the usual grid of app icons to place those apps anywhere you want on the screen. Say you've got a favorite photo that you like using as your home screen wallpaper — you can now arrange your apps to frame the image instead of covering it up. Or you can group apps with complementary functions and features together in a screen section of your choosing. Really, the look of how apps and widgets get arranged on your home screen is now entirely up to you.

That's not all you can change. iOS 18 also allows you to change the look of app icons too, opting for light or dark versions, or even an automatic mode that adjusts when your phone goes into Dark Mode. If you prefer, you can change the way app icons are tinted — opting for a color that provides a better contrast with your wallpaper or just picking a particular hue because you like its look. You can switch between small and large sizes for the icons, too.

If I have a complaint here, it's that Apple doesn't go far enough with the customization options, particularly when it comes to adjusting the app icons, which is an all-or-nothing affair. Maybe I'd like to tint my productivity apps blue to set them apart from other app icons or I'd like each different home screen to feature a different app icon color. But Apple limits me to one tint for every icon — a limitation that makes even less sense when you consider that you can arrange your app icons in different ways on every individual home screen.

That complaint aside, this is a very welcome change to iOS, which has often come under fire for lacking Android's personalization features. You can't really make that argument anymore after recent iOS updates have let you place widgets on your home screen, change up the look of the home screen and now place app icons anywhere you'd like. Apple clearly recognizes that we treat our phones like an extension of our personalities, and it continues to roll out changes to its iPhone software to let us better express ourselves in that manner.

iOS 18: A new look for the Control Center

The customization in iOS 18 doesn't stop with the home screen. Apple has also given the Control Center a makeover with this update, and it lets you rearrange controls to position them however you want. That includes resizing controls by dragging their lower right corner to expand or shrink them. 

For the first time, you can even change the camera and flashlight controls on the bottom of the lock screen to provide shortcuts to other controls. I've added a quick link to have Shazam identify songs to my home screen so that I don't have to jump into the Control Center and find that shortcut myself. 

If you've got an iPhone with an Action Button — the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max at this point, though the fall's iPhone 16 releases could expand the number of supported devices — you can link up that button to any control available in iOS 18's controls gallery, giving you another shortcut that's just a press away.

The Control Center itself has expanded into four panels, led off by a main page that includes all your favorite controls and looks a lot like the Control Center found in iOS 17. But scroll down and you'll find a separate control panel for media playback, followed by a dedicated screen for Home controls that provide one-tap access to smart home devices and scenes you've created using the built-in Homes app. The fourth panel is a Connectivity screen with access to things like AirPlane mode, VPNs, hotspot features and more.

Part of me wishes Apple gave you more control over the order in which these panels appeared. I don't have a lot of smart home appliances, for example, but I do see myself making use of the connectivity panel. It would be nice if I could flip the order so that the panel I'm more likely to access appears ahead of the one I have little use for. Apple has a decent workaround where shortcuts to the four panels appear in a descending row on the right side of the screen — you can just tap the icon to jump to the panel you want.

I like the fact that you no longer need to go into the Settings app to adjust the Control Center layout — iOS 18 gives you the ability to edit the look of the main panel from directly within the Control Center itself. And once the full version of iOS 18 comes in the fall, I expect we'll see a lot of third-party apps release their own controls now that Apple allows you to add those to iOS 18's Control Center.

iOS 18 Photos: An acquired taste

Of all the changes to iOS 18, the one with the potential to be most divisive is the redesigned Photos app, which gets the biggest overhaul in the app's history. The tabbed interface of iOS 17's Photos that lets you jump from your library to albums to For You collections is gone. Instead, everything's on a single screen and you scroll to find things. A downward swipe takes you deeper into your library while an upward swipe lets you explore collections, automatically assembled memories and other photos grouped by categories like People & Pets, Trips and the like.

The new look takes some getting used to. For instance, if you don't notice some tiny dots below the photo library, it may not be immediately clear that if you swipe right or left, you can call up collections of photos. The app picks what highlights you see initially, but you're able to customize what shows up in the carousel. 

Scrolling down to see various collections of photos can make you feel like you're missing something — ironic, since the motivation behind this redesign is to help you better find things in your library.

At this stage, I'm willing to chalk up my reaction to the Photos app redesign as resistance to change that will fade as I get more accustomed to the app's new look. I suspect people trying out the iOS 18 beta may go through the same kind of growing pains.

At least Apple has added some clever tools for finding the photos you want. When you swipe into your photo library, tabs appear to let you sort images by years and months. There are other filters, too, for how images get sorted and for filtering out the results you don't need to see. That latter tool is particularly helpful for removing the screenshots stored in your photo library from view.

iOS 18 Messages: Two practical changes amid the fun

Given the popularity of iMessage as a messaging platform, you'd expect Apple to make a few improvements to the Messages app. That's certainly the case with iOS 18, though I'd categorize a lot of the additions as light-hearted rather than essential additions to the messaging mix.

For instance, iOS 18 lets you use any emoji or sticker you've got stored in your sticker drawer as a tapback. This will doubtlessly thrill anyone who relies on emoji as a communications tool. But for the oldsters like me, it's just another thing to nod and smile politely at. 

A more widely appealing change is the addition of new text effects that can cause your messages to shake, ripple or even explode — you access them by tapping on your message and selecting Text Effects from the menu. There, you'll even find ways to format words or entire texts with bold, italic, underline or strike-through formatting.

Easily, the most practical change to Messages is the ability to schedule texts to be sent later. This is ideal for those times late at night when you think of a message late at night but don’t want to send it out until a more appropriate hour. Just tap the Plus (+) button where you access functions like the Messages Check In feature or Digital Touch, and tap Send Later. A blue timer will appear over your text listing when the message will go out; tap it to adjust the day and time.

If you've got an iPhone 14 or later, you can take advantage of Messages via satellite, which lets you connect over iMessage even without cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity. Instead, you're using satellites, as the name of the feature confirms, and you get the full benefit of the iMessages platform when texting other iPhone users — that means emoji and tapbacks in addition to text messages. (Texting with a non-iPhone user? You can still send and receive messages using SMS.) I haven't made any forays into places remote enough to give this feature a test, but if I do, I'll update this hands-on review.

Another feature I haven't had a chance to test just yet is iOS 18's newfound support for RCS, or the Rich Communications Service that's become the favored messaging platform for Android. The addition of RCS means that features normally off-limits to cross-platform messages — read receipts, typing indicators and high-quality images and videos — will now be part of your texts with Android users. Your messages won't be encrypted end-to-end like they are when you text other iPhone users, but RCS is definitely more secure than the SMS/MMS platforms previously in use. The green bubble/blue bubble divide remains, even with RCS support now part of your iPhone.

iOS 18 Notes: What an updated app should be

I used to scoff at people who used the built-in Notes app on their iPhone for anything other than jotting down quick lists, but each successive iOS update seems to add new features that seamlessly integrate with what's already done. Notes is practically a full-fledged writing tool at this point, and iOS 18 adds even more capabilities that make this built-in app the first place you should stop when you've got to put ideas down on (virtual) paper.

In iOS 18, Apple has integrated the calculator into Notes to support a new Math Notes feature. There are flashy elements, like the ability to sketch out equations on your phone's screen and have the calculator solve them, though this particular use of Math Notes is better suited for the larger screen of an iPad and the precision of a stylus like an Apple pencil. (For more, see our iPadOS 18 hands-on.) A far better implementation of Math Notes has you type out formulas that the feature can solve. As an example, I can keep a running tally of expenses that automatically adjusts as I add new numbers to the mix.

Changes in Notes don't stop there. Instead of jumping over to the Voice Memos app when you want to make a recording you can link to in your note, the app now comes with an integrated recorder. Even better, Notes transcribes audio recordings and phone calls — even highlighting the text during playback — so that you have a written searchable transcript for your notes. As with similar features on Android devices, transcription accuracy is hit and miss. A recording of me reciting Anthony's funeral oration from "Julius Caesar" had some notable errors, though we can maybe chalk that up to the fact that Shakespeare's words did not come trippingly off my tongue. Fortunately, ou can edit transcripts, though you have to add them to your note first, which seems an unnecessary step.

If you go to the trouble of fine-tuning the layout of your notes, you'll appreciate the addition of collapsable section headers, which let you better organize notes and hide sections of text in lengthier files. Another new feature lets you change the color of text, essentially allowing you to highlight sections of a note for easier skimming.

iOS 18 Safari: Summaries at your fingertips

The changes to Safari in iOS 18 aren't nearly so substantial, but they will potentially save you time if you know where to find them.

A new Highlights feature in Safari focuses on key information about that particular web page. Right now, the primary use for Highlights appears to be directions and operating hours, as I've been able to pull up maps to various sights around San Francisco. (In fact tapping that summary box takes me to the Maps app where I can get driving directions.) Other potential Highlights let you explore more with people, movies, music and TV shows.

The trick to highlights is knowing how to access it, as those summaries don't appear automatically. Instead, look to the Safari address bar where a tiny purple AI icon appears on what you'd normally tap for more information. If Highlights is to become better integrated in the Safari browsing experience, it feels like Apple should make that visual cue more obvious, and the information itself will need to appear with great consistency.

Safari's other big change — a redesigned Reader feature — is accessed the same way. Reader lets you see web articles in a more readable format, with everything stripped away but the text and some key images. 

In iOS 18, you get a summary at the top of the reader display, with longer articles adding a table of contents, too. The summaries are accurate enough, though probably not thorough enough to save you much in the way of time. Presumably, if you clicked on the article, you're interested enough to read it no matter what Reader's summary tells you. But with Apple Intelligence missing in action in the current iOS 18 beta, this is probably your best current look at what Apple's inclusion of AI in iPhone features brings to the table.

iOS 18 privacy and security: New password manager, hidden apps

Any iOS update tends to bring with it new attempts to shore up security and privacy on your iPhone, and iOS 18 is no exception. Two changes are part of the iOS 18 public beta that deserve some attention — a new Passwords app and the ability to secure any app you want to the point where you can even hide it from public view.

The Passwords app builds on Apple's keychain for managing passwords. It's a one-stop storage vault for all the passwords you've accrued for various apps and websites. Not only does this help with auto filling in your credentials, it also makes searching for passwords a lot easier. Other tools include alerts for compromised passwords and syncing your passwords across all the Apple devices you own (assuming they're updated to the latest versions of their software, one presumes).

I confess that I find the Passwords interface intimidating, as it's a long string of apps and websites I had forgotten I ever accessed, including some online tools I last used when I worked for a previous employer a decade ago. So I've probably got some password management ahead of me. Still, this seems like a sensible addition to iOS 18 that should put control over passwords right in your hands.

I'm more pleased with the ability to secure apps by requiring a Face ID unlock in order to access them. This adds an extra layer of protection in case your phone is ever unlocked, as you can keep anyone who happens to have your phone from accessing sensitive data in apps that remain unlocked until you verify them. For more security, you can opt to hide apps from public view, where they'll be stored in a folder that only you can access. Best of all, data from locked and hidden apps won't show up in searches, so you won't inadvertently defeat the purpose of securing them in the first place.

There's been some smirking about this feature, as if it would only be used to hide nefarious or embarrassing activity. But I see it as a practical step in a world where you keep a lot of health, banking, and personal information on your phone, and maybe you don't want people popping into the Health app to see what kind of medications you take. This is a great addition by Apple at a time when our phones house a lot of critical data about ourselves.

iOS 18: Other updates of note

We’re roughly half-a-billion words into this hands-on review, and we've only scratched the surface about the changes Apple has made. Here's a summary of some of the other improvements I've spotted during my hands-on time with iOS 18.

Calendar/Reminders integration: You can now create a reminder in the Calendars app, linking it to a specific time and date, and it will also appear in Reminders. (The reverse also works, with tasks in Reminders showing up in your Calendar.) This is a sensible blending of cross-app functionality that saves you the hassle of jumping between apps to keep things synced up.

Hiking maps for Maps: I've often complained about Maps' limited utility if you like hiking, so I have to credit Apple for adding topographic maps to iOS 18. You'll find all 63 U.S. National Parks supported in the app, and I hope it expands to add state and regional support. The feature works best when you take advantage of the offline maps feature Apple introduced last year.

Tap to Cash and venue info in Wallet: There are two improvements in the Wallet app I haven't had a chance to test, but hope to once the iOS 18 beta becomes more widespread. Tap to Cash lets you exchange cash payments with other iPhone users simply by placing your phone next to theirs and making an AirDrop-like transfer. Think of it as a way of cutting out Venmo or PayPal from the process of paying back friends and family.

Meanwhile, when you stash tickets in Wallet, participating venues can add information like maps of the venue, when the gates and parking areas open and more. Apple also says that the Wallet app can surface other recommendations — relevant playlists for upcoming concerts, recommendations for nearby eateries, and links to Find My so you can track down the people you're attending the event with.

Journal improvements: I haven't made much use of Journal since Apple added the app a year ago, but some new gamification features in iOS 18 like streaks and stats figure to help get you in the habit of writing on your phone. The app now integrates with another iOS 17 addition, the Health app's mood tracker, so you can see the impact reflective writing is having on your outlook.

Fitness fixes: As I had hoped, the iOS 18 version of Fitness adds some of the improvements coming with the watchOS 11 update such as the ability to pause your move goal progress when you're injured or taking a rest day so that you don't lose any streaks. You can also adjust your move goal on a daily basis to better reflect that some days feature more intense workouts than others.

iOS 18: What's not in the beta

Apple Intelligence isn't the only feature you won't find when you install the iOS 18 public beta. Mail is getting a big change this year — your inbox will be broken up into different categories for better organization — but Apple has already alerted us that those changes won't come until later in the year. That suggests Mail improvements may have to wait until a subsequent update following the full release of iOS 18 in the fall. That happens a fair amount with some iOS updates, so it's nothing really to fret about.

When it does come, the Mail improvements figure to bring some order to the chaos of your inbox, with a Primary view for messages from family, friends and colleagues, plus time-sensitive emails that float to the top of your inbox. Other categories include Transactions, Promotions and Updates, which handle things like receipts, sales promos, and newsletters, respectively.

As we continue to go through the iOS 18 public beta, we may come across other missing-in-action features. If so, we'll update this section accordingly.

iOS 18 public beta: Should I upgrade?

Deciding whether to install a beta software or not boils down to risk tolerance. Even the most polished betas run the risk of bugs or having critical apps that you depend on not run the way they should. That can be a problem when we're talking about a device as essential to day-to-day living as a phone.

Generally, I suggest that people wait to install an iOS beta unless they have an old iPhone lying around so that they can try out things without any risk. With iOS 18, I'm going to have to insist on approaching this initial public beta cautiously.

The version of iOS 18 that Apple is releasing to the public is much more stable than the initial developers release that came out right after June's WWDC keynote. Yet, bugs persist, with apps occasionally crashing for no apparent reason. That's all right for those of us who test software for a living, but if you just want your phone to work like it's supposed to, that's a risk not worth taking.

Let's put it this way: the iPhone 14 I've been using to run the iOS 18 beta is not my everyday phone. The device I depend on for daily use still runs iOS 17. And it's probably going to stay that way until another public beta update comes along.

That's the good news with Apple's iOS beta process, though — it's long and thorough. Between now and the likely fall release date for iOS 18, we're expecting a lot of beta updates that will stamp out any performance issues and role out more polished features. It doesn't hurt to wait an update or two to make sure things are a bit more solid.

iOS 18 public beta outlook

If anything, spending time with the iOS 18 beta has convinced me that there's more to this update than Apple Intelligence. 

Certainly, Apple's push to include more AI-driven features on its phones is exciting, but there are enough new capabilities in iOS 18 right now to make it a worthwhile update — once the beta becomes a little more polished, that is.