Apple fans have plenty of new Apple Intelligence-based features to look forward to when they install iOS 18 in September. Those who can’t wait might decide to install the unstable iOS 18 public beta once it is released next month. Considering that beta software is notoriously unstable, features that you rely on every day might not work right, battery life might be negatively impacted, and the features you might want to use before everyone else gets them might not even be ready to appear on the beta. If you do decide to install an iOS 18 beta, remember to back up your data first.
Not all of the changes coming to the iPhone with iOS 18 are related to Apple Intelligence. Per 9to5Mac, in iOS 18, the flashlight will be improved giving users more control over how bright the flashlight is and they will also have more control over the width of the beam. When you turn on the flashlight using the Lock Screen, Control Center, or via Siri, a new UI will appear on the Dynamic Island with a horizontal slider allowing users to control the width of the beam (wide, medium, and narrow).
New iOS 18 Flashlight UI on the iPhone 15 Pro Dynamic Island. Image credit 9to5Mac
Adjusting the vertical slider will allow you to control the brightness of the flashlight. Tapping the flashlight icon in the Dynamic Island will turn the flashlight on and off. The flashlight icon will stay in the Dynamic Island until the “torch” is turned off. The previous version of the flashlight had four brightness levels, and it appears that there are as many as seven such brightness levels for the new flashlight.
Another eagerly awaited feature not AI-related that Apple announced on Monday is the new customizable home screen app icons for the iPhone. Not only will compatible iPhone users be able to move their icons to any empty space on the home screen, but they will also be able to change the color of the app icons using a slider at the bottom of the display. Color recommendations will be made to match the app icon colors with the color theme of the wallpaper being used.
The iOS 18 beta for developers is now available although this beta is as unstable at it gets. As we already noted, the iOS 18 Public beta will be released starting next month with the final stable version of iOS 18 expected in September, around the same time that the iPhone 16 line is released.