Apple has released new betas for all operating systems. iOS 18 and 18.1 come along with the corresponding versions for iPadOS and macOS Sequoia. Updates that come with many new features, some for all versions, others exclusive to one or another version of the operating system. Let’s review all the new features that we can already test.
News in all betas: Improvements in the Control Center, dark mode and welcome screens
If we look at the new features that come to both iOS 18 and iOS 18.1, the first thing we find is the inclusion of a new toggle in the Control Center to turn Bluetooth on or off independently. This setting allows us greater flexibility with the Bluetooth radio, and we can even add it to the lock screen of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, replacing the camera or flashlight icon.
In addition, the arrangement of the icons in the Control Center’s control gallery has been reorganized, highlighting the addition of a “Capture” section that includes options for the camera, scanning QR codes, and magnifying glass. The silent mode button has also been placed under the sound section.
Notifications now respect dark mode when it is enabled, displaying appropriate icons instead of light mode icons. This applies to both iOS 18.1 beta 2 and iOS 18 beta 6, although, for now, in the latter, it is not necessary to have full dark mode enabled, only dark icons, for it to work.
To prepare for the launch of iOS 18, Apple has added welcome screens for several applications such as Photos, Translator, Podcasts, Home, Apple TV, Calculator, and Notes.
The tones we apply to the icons to match the wallpaper are now linked to that specific wallpaper instead of the system. This means that if we change the wallpaper, the icons will also change to have the tone according to the new wallpaper color.
In the Music app, the “Discover” tab is now called “New”.
iOS 18.1 News: Photos, Safari, and more Apple Intelligence
iOS 18.1 has brought a series of specific adjustments, such as the design changes in the Photos app that we already saw in iOS 18 beta 5, which removes the carousel.
In Safari, the new Hide Distractions option allows us to hide elements on web pages, such as login windows and cookie pop-ups, although it cannot be used to remove ads.
The localization of Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.1 includes new localized versions of English for Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, India, and Singapore, in addition to the previous options of the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia.
In addition, in Europe it seems that it is already possible to use Apple Intelligence on the iPhone and iPad as long as the Apple ID is American, and the region and language are set to United States and English (United States), respectively.
iOS 18 News: Some adjustments in Photos
The sixth beta of iOS 18 has slightly modified the design of the album collection in the Photos app, where each album now has a separate card with a main thumbnail on the left.
With these versions and updates, we continue to make progress in the summer betas. September is quickly approaching and we will soon see the official release of the new versions. In the meantime, let’s take a look at the evolution of the updates.
