iOS 18: Release Candidate available now, wide release set for September 16

Apple’s big iOS 18 release is a big deal for iPhone users. Even though Apple Intelligence is comings in a staged rollout in iOS 18.1, 18.2, and beyond, this first release is packed with new features and interface changes.

The final release to the public is scheduled for Monday, September 16. Beta-testing is just about done now, with the Release Candidate available to track down any last remaining stow-stopping bugs.

Updated September 9: The release candidate for iOS 18 is available now, and Apple has set the date for its wide release for September 16.

iOS 18 release notes

Here are Apple’s official release notes for iOS 18. We have a broad overview of the major new features in our iOS 18 Superguide.

Home Screen

• Flexible arrangement to place app icons and widgets in any open position on the Home Screen, such as along the bottom or off to the side, to create the ideal layout for each page
• Dark icons give your Home Screen look a darker aesthetic, and can automatically adjust when your iPhone enters Dark Mode, or always appear dark
• Color tinting lets you apply any color to app icons and widgets or have iOS suggest a color that complements your wallpaper
• Larger icons allow you to make all the app icons and widgets on your screen appear larger, removing the name underneath

Photos

• Photos app redesign features the biggest update ever with a simplified layout that puts everything into a single view
• Collections automatically organize your library by helpful topics that you can browse in a collage, grid, as a memory, or on a map
• Customization options let you reorder, add, and remove Collections rows, and add just the items you want to Pinned Collections to keep within easy reach
• Groups in People and Pets include photos of your favorite people or pets who frequently appear together
• Trips automatically organizes your travels into collections so you can relive each trip
• Recent Days lets you view your recent photos organized by day without clutter like screenshots
• Filter button in the grid helps you reduce clutter by filtering to specific media types, your favorites, or by hiding screenshots from the view
• Video speed control lets you slow down high frame rate video content with in and out points
• Utilities includes additional helpful collections like Documents, Receipts, QR codes, and more, and items you’ve recently edited, viewed, and shared
• Recovered album in Utilities surfaces images that are on your device but were not previously visible due to database corruption in a locked album

Messages

• Messages via satellite lets you message friends and family when you are without cellular or Wi-Fi connection by connecting to a satellite in space (iPhone 14 and later)
• Text effects bring your conversations to life by visually amplifying any letter, word, phrase, or emoji in iMessage with dynamic, animated effects like explode, ripple, and nod
• Text formatting lets you add bold, underline, italics, and strikethrough to any letter, word, or phrase in iMessage
• Emoji and sticker Tapbacks allow you to react to a message using any emoji or sticker, giving you access to the Tapbacks you and your friends send the most with just a swipe
• Send Later enables you to compose a message now and schedule it to send later
• RCS messaging support includes delivery and read receipts, higher resolution photos and videos for messaging people without an iPhone and requires carrier support

Control Center

• Redesigned Control Center features convenient groups of controls, the ability to arrange controls just the way you want, and support for controls from third-party apps
• Groups of controls can be accessed by continuously swiping from the right edge, including your most used controls, Home controls, Media Playback and Connectivity, with the option to build out entirely new groups too
• Controls gallery displays the full set of available controls, including controls from third-party apps, that you can add right into the group you choose
• Resizable controls let you drag from the lower right of a control from within Control Center

Lock Screen

• Custom Lock Screen controls let you choose controls from the controls gallery from your favorite apps
• Action button can be customized with controls from the controls gallery (iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max)
• Font options allow you to customize the time with 12 numeral scripts in Arabic, Arabic Indic, Bangla, Devanagari, Gujarati, Gurmukhi, Kannada, Malayalam, Meitei, Odia, Ol Chiki, and Telugu

Safari

• Distraction Control helps you hide items on a webpage that you find disruptive to your browsing
• Highlights surface key information from the webpage you’re visiting with summaries, locations, and more
• Redesigned Reader offers even more ways to enjoy articles with a streamlined view of the article you’re reading, a summary, and a table of contents for longer articles

Passwords

• Passwords app lets you see all your credentials for websites and apps in one place, making it even easier to access your passwords, passkeys, Wi-Fi passwords, and verification codes
• Verification codes for two factor authentication can be set up right in Passwords so you can easily copy them or autofill them into Safari without opening an authenticator app
• Secure syncing ensures your accounts saved in Passwords sync seamlessly with iCloud with end-to-end encryption so you can access them on your other devices
• Windows support through the iCloud Passwords app so you can access your passwords on Windows devices

Maps

• Topographic maps display features like trails, contour lines, elevation, and points of interest
• Hikes are available across all U.S. national parks and can be saved to your device to access while offline
• Custom walking and hiking routes can be created with just a few taps for hikes in the park, regular exercise routines in your neighborhood, walking tours while on vacation, and more
• Places Library combines all your saved places, guides, and hiking routes into one location for easy access

Gaming

• Game Mode minimizes background activity to sustain the highest frame rates and dramatically improves responsiveness with wireless accessories like game controllers and AirPods

Wallet

• Tap to Cash lets you exchange Apple Cash quickly and privately, without sharing phone numbers or email addresses, just by holding your phones together
• New pass designs have a beautiful new look and great new features, including a new event guide with helpful information about the venue and smart recommendations from your favorite Apple apps
• New ways to pay with installments and rewards on supported credit and debit cards when you check out with Apple Pay online and in apps

Journal

• State of mind can be logged right from within Journal, and emotions or mood logged in the Health app are included in Journaling Suggestions
• Insights view shows your writing streaks, a calendar, and other fun stats that help you track your journaling goals
• Search lets you easily find past entries, and the ability to sort shows your entries in your preferred order
• Widgets for your Home Screen and Lock Screen show your current streak or writing prompts that change throughout the day, so you can reflect on what’s going on in the moment

Phone

• Recent calls search helps you find previous calls, voicemails and contacts using phone numbers, names, or even a word transcribed from a voicemail
• Keypad search helps you quickly find and call existing contacts by typing in their number or name on the alphanumeric keypad
• Automatic mic mode picks the right mic mode for you, toggling between Voice Isolation, Wide Spectrum, and Standard mode depending on your environment

Privacy

• Locked apps let you protect your sensitive apps and the information inside them by requiring Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode to open them and hiding the content from search, notifications, and other places across the system
• Hidden apps have the same protections as locked apps, plus they are placed in a new hidden apps folder that is locked, and you won’t receive notifications or calls from the app
• Improved Contacts permission empower you to choose which contacts to share with an app
• Improved Bluetooth pairing lets developers offer a seamless pairing experience, while protecting your privacy

AirPods

• Hands-free Siri Interactions let you respond to Siri announcements with AirPods by simply nodding your head ‘yes’ or shaking your head ‘no’
• Voice Isolation on AirPods Pro provides clearer call quality for those you are speaking with, even in windy conditions or places with loud background noise
• Personalized Spatial Audio for gaming with AirPods puts you in the middle of the action with sound that surrounds you combined with a new API for developers that makes it easier than ever to enable

Apple TV app

• InSight delivers real-time information for every live-action Apple TV+ movies and shows that complements what you’re watching onscreen
• Enhance Dialogue enables you to hear what’s being said onscreen more clearly, especially when loud effects or music is playing
• More dynamic Subtitles automatically appear at just the right times, like when the content language doesn’t match your device language, when you mute the audio, or when you skip back while watching a program

Notes

• Audio recordings can be started right from inside a note, and kept with related comments, checklists, and documents
• Live transcriptions show as you record audio, and transcripts are fully searchable so you can always find what you need (iPhone 12 and later)
• Math in Notes let you enter expressions and equations in your note to have them solve instantly
• Collapsible sections help you simplify and hide text in long notes; just tap next to a section header to lighten up your most text-heavy notes
• Highlight text in your note with a choice of five colors allows you to make your text standout

Accessibility

• Eye Tracking makes it possible for people to control iPhone with just their eyes (iPhone 12 and later and iPhone SE (3rd generation))
• Music Haptics syncs the iPhone Taptic Engine with the rhythm of songs so those who are deaf or hard of hearing can enjoy the Apple Music catalog (iPhone 14 and later)
• Vocal Shortcuts help people with severe atypical speech record custom utterances that trigger specific actions
• Vehicle Motion Cues can help reduce motion sickness for passengers in moving vehicles by placing dots on the screen that move with the vehicle without interfering with content

This release also includes other features and improvements:

• Emergency SOS Live Video enables you to share streaming video and recorded media during emergency calls with participating US emergency operators (iPhone 14 and later)
• Math Notes in Calculator let you evaluate expressions, assign variables and even create graphs on iPhone
• Calendar lets you create, view, edit and complete reminders alongside with your events
• Recently Deleted list in Reminders lets you view and retrieve deleted reminders
• Screen sharing in SharePlay lets you tap and draw on someone’s screen or ask for permission to remotely control their iPhone and take actions yourself
• Scenes in Freeform allow you to organize your content into sections, then save, label and order them as you like
• Redesigned Fitness+ makes it easy to find personalized recommendations, or search for something specific
• Guest access in Home app lets you provide visitors with date and time- based access to locks, garage doors, and alarm systems
• Electricity usage and rate plan information in Home app are displayed for eligible customers when connecting their utility account, starting with Pacific Gas and Electric Company in California
• Repair Assistant prompts you to configure the genuine Apple parts replaced on your device after a repair (iPhone 12 and later)

How to install iOS 18

Installing iOS 18 is simple. Once the software is released on Monday, September 16, just follow these easy steps:

1. Open the Settings app
2. Tap General
3. Tap Software Update

On this screen you’ll see the version of iOS you have installed, and if a new version is available it will say so. It may say “Install Now” if the update was already downloaded in the background but not yet applied, or “Download and Install” if you haven’t even downloaded it yet.

Just follow the instructions there to upgrade to iOS 18. You may need to re-agree to terms and conditions, and it will take several minutes to download, verify, and apply. Then your iPhone will restart, and you’ll be presented with some welcome screens that introduce new features.

To get the iOS 18 release candidate you need to register for and download the beta. If you haven’t already, though, we suggest simply waiting for the final release which is right around the corner.

If you install an update and want to revert to the previous version there is a very small window in which you can do that, but it can be done, read: How to downgrade iOS.