Just now! Apple released a preview of a major update for the new iPhone, and here comes the testing method for Apple fans

Editor | Yan Zheng

Produced by | 51CTO Technology Stack (WeChat ID: blog)

Apple on Monday released a preview of a major update to its new iPhones.

The iOS 18 public preview is a beta version of the software that will be released alongside the new iPhone this fall, allowing Apple fans and developers to test the latest features before the new phone is officially released and find bugs before all iPhone users install the new software.

1. What changes are there in iOS 18?

There are still many changes in this version of iOS that will change the look and feel of the iPhone and may surprise users when they first install the software.

For example, Apple has updated several core user interface elements of the device, including the lock screen, home screen, and control center, to support a wider range of colors and customizations; popular apps such as photos have been redesigned. Messages are more colorful and support emoji reactions. Users can even change all app icons to the same color.

Many of these look and feel features have been available to Android users for years, but are new to longtime iPhone users and part of Apple's multi-year process of opening up the formerly rigid iPhone software design to allow for greater visual customization, culminating in last year's release of a redesigned device's lock screen.

Apple WWDC 2024 product update App Night Mode Source: Apple official website

Here are some of the major changes in iOS 18:

(1) Users can now place icons anywhere on the Home screen - for example, you can place all your apps around the screen border so that your wallpaper is better visible.

(2) App icons can be changed to dark mode, or iOS can change all app icons to the same color.

(3) Apple’s Control Center menu (accessed by swiping down from the top-right corner) is more customizable, has multiple pages, and offers new types of controls.

(4) Users can swap the camera and flashlight shortcuts on the lock screen for other apps.

(5) Apple’s Photos app has been significantly updated and redesigned. The app now uses artificial intelligence to organize photos into trips or albums, which appear on the homepage when the app is opened.

(6) Apple’s Messages app now lets you add bold or italics to text. Users can also react to messages using any emoji. These so-called “tap replies” now appear in color in the Messages app.

Apple's iOS 18 changes the look and feel of many of the most commonly used features on the iPhone Source: Apple official website

(7) If there is no Wi-Fi or cellular service, iOS 18 users with the latest devices can send text messages via satellite.

(8) Safari will aggregate news and other web articles, including generating directories. These features can be accessed through the button to the left of the URL bar in Safari.

(9) Apple has moved all password management features into a new app called Passwords.

(10) Users can quickly transfer digital currency by touching one iPhone to another.

(11) iPhone can now generate transcripts from phone calls or recordings.

(12) The Siri animation now takes up the entire iPhone screen.

Siri update during Apple WWDC2024. Source: Apple official website

Here's how to download the beta version:

• Make sure your phone can run the latest software. The software must have been released in 2018 or later.
• Updated to the latest public version of iOS.
• Go to Settings > General > Software Update. Select iOS 18 public beta from the drop-down menu.

2. Apple Intelligence, still not in public beta

Of course, the most anticipated highlight, Apple Intelligence, has not been publicly tested. Apple said that users will be able to try it later this summer. In June, Apple announced that some of its new devices will be able to access Apple's AI service, which can intelligently answer questions, control the iPhone, and even generate images.

Apple said that Apple Intelligence will be released in beta this fall, and users will be able to try it out this summer. Some promised Apple Intelligence features (such as ChatGPT integration) and some Siri improvements are not expected to be released until later this year.