Announced at WWDC 2024, the latest iOS 18 update is finally available on eligible iPhones. While features like home screen customization options and Apple Intelligence dominated the presentation slides at WWDC 2024, Apple has quietly included several handy add-ons to improve your day-to-day experience with your iPhone. Let’s talk about the top hidden iOS 18 features and changes that Apple didn't actually mention on stage, but are worth knowing about.
These are the devices that will get iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, and macOS Sequoia
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22 Redesigned Settings and iCloud menus
The default Settings menu received a much-awaited overhaul with iOS 18. Now, it no longer showcases a long list of system and third-party apps at the bottom. All of them have been tucked under the Apps menu for a cleaner layout.
The main menus also now showcase a small description at the top. For example, when you open the General menu, the system describes what you can expect to find. "Manage your overall setup and preferences for iPhone, such as software updates, device language, CarPlay, AirDrop, and more." You can find the same type of summary in Accessibility, Privacy & Security, and other sections.
The iCloud menu also went through a redesign. It now shows your storage breakdown, number of photos, Drive files, password entries, Notes, and Messages stored on the iCloud platform.
21 Smart dialer
iOS 18 finally brings a smart dialer to find your contacts easily. It’s a T9 (Text on 9 keys) dialer that Android users have had for ages. It allows you to type a contact’s name via the number pad. For example, if you want to call up Mihir, simply type 64447. The system will predict your contact’s name correctly and will show a suggestion at the top. Simply tap on it to confirm the full mobile number and hit the call button.
20 Search call history with optimized interactions
The Phone app has also received two quality-of-life improvements.
The Recents page has a call icon beside each entry now. Thankfully, you'll need to intentionally select a number in order to place a call from within this screen, meaning that you won’t trigger those embarrassing calls due to accidental taps.
You can also finally search your call history here now, to save yourself from continuous scrolling.
19 Collapsible sections and highlighter in Notes
The Notes app received several productivity add-ons. You can now create headings within a note, and turn them into collapsible sections. There is also a highlighter tool that offers five color options to choose from: purple, pink, orange, mint-green, and blue. This will easily make your text stand out in a long paragraph.
18 Flashlight beam width control
Although it’s a rare use case, you can change the flashlight width from the Dynamic Island. When you turn on the flashlight, long-tap on the Dynamic Island and slide your fingers to change the beam width.
17 Power button shortcut
Thanks to a virtual power button in the Control Center, you no longer need to memorize awkward key combinations in order to trigger the power menu and shut down your phone. You can simply swipe down from the top-right corner and tap the power button. The add-on can also come in handy if your iPhone’s physical power or volume button stops working, now you'll still be able to easily power down your phone.
16 Reminders in Calendar
You can finally see your upcoming reminders, along with events, right in the Calendar app. When you create a new task with a due date, the same appears in the Calendar app. You can even edit a reminder, delete it, and complete it from within the Calendar app.
15 Monthly view in Calendar
Having a detailed monthly view is such a basic functionality that was missing from the iOS Calendar app. From now on, you can simply zoom into the yearly view and check an updated monthly view in action. From within the monthly view, you can now zoom in further as you wish for more visible details.
14 New Attachment menu with audio recording in Notes
When you compose or edit a note in the Notes app, a new attachment menu should appear at the bottom. You can tap it to insert a file, photo, video, scan documents, or scan text. There is also another option to record and insert an audio file inside a note.
If you have an iPhone 12 or later, you can generate live audio transcriptions here from an audio file. It’s a useful feature for anyone attending lectures and seminars.
13 Support for math equations and recent notes
Notes app gets another two add-ons to make it a productivity powerhouse. You can simply enter a math expression and type = at the end to generate results in real time. Whether you want to calculate quick travel expenses, track monthly subscription charges, or split a dinner bill, just type the equation in the Notes app and get an answer without having to exit Notes to use the Calculator app.
The Notes app also tracks your recent notes and lets you switch between them from the top menu. Tap the three-dot menu at the top, select Recent Notes, and check out your previous notes.