What's New in iOS 18

iOS 18 is one of the most significant updates Apple has shipped in several years. From a redesigned home screen to smarter built-in apps, there's a lot to unpack. Here's a guided tour of the most impactful changes.

Home Screen Customization — Finally

iOS 18 introduces icon-level customization that iPhone users have wanted for years:

  • Free icon placement: You can now place app icons anywhere on the home screen grid, leaving gaps between them. No more forced top-left stacking.
  • Icon tinting: Apply a custom color tint to all your app icons for a unified aesthetic. Choose from presets or use a custom color picker.
  • Dark mode icons: Apps that support it will display darker icon variants when your phone is in Dark Mode.

Control Center Overhaul

Control Center is now fully customizable. You can add, remove, resize, and rearrange any control — including third-party app controls. Multiple pages are supported, so you can group controls by theme (media, smart home, accessibility).

To customize: long-press anywhere in Control Center and tap the + button in the top left.

Locked & Hidden Apps

One of the most privacy-forward features in iOS 18: you can now lock any app with Face ID or Touch ID. Hidden apps are moved to a locked folder that doesn't appear in search or Siri suggestions. To lock an app, long-press it on the home screen and tap Require Face ID.

Messages Gets Much Smarter

  • Schedule messages: Write a message and set it to send at a specific time — useful for reaching people in different time zones.
  • Text effects: Apply animated effects to individual words or characters, like making text shake, bounce, or explode.
  • Tapback reactions with any emoji: The six preset Tapback reactions now support any emoji from your keyboard.
  • RCS support: iOS 18 finalizes RCS messaging for Android cross-platform chats, enabling higher-quality media and read receipts.

Photos App: Rebuilt from Scratch

The Photos app has been completely redesigned. The new layout eliminates separate tabs in favor of a single, scrollable view divided into sections: Recents, Pinned Collections, People & Pets, Trips, and more. The library view intelligently adapts based on your collection size.

Some users find the new layout requires an adjustment period. You can customize which sections appear by scrolling to the bottom and tapping Customize & Reorder.

Apple Intelligence (AI Features)

Apple Intelligence — Apple's on-device AI system — is rolling out with iOS 18.1 and beyond for iPhone 15 Pro and later (with more device support coming). Key features include:

  • Writing tools in any text field (rewrite, proofread, summarize)
  • Smart Reply suggestions in Mail and Messages
  • Priority inbox in Mail (important messages surfaced automatically)
  • Image Playground and Genmoji for AI-generated images and custom emoji
  • An upgraded, more capable Siri

Should You Update?

iOS 18 is compatible with the iPhone XS and later. For most users, updating is recommended — the customization features alone are worth it, and security patches are always important. If you're on an older device, check that your most critical apps have been updated for iOS 18 compatibility before upgrading.