Lesser-known features of iOS 18 include voice memo transcription, a more configurable backlight, and QR codes for sharing Wi-Fi passwords.
Today marks the public release of iOS 18, so if you were not able to test the software during the development and public beta stages, here is your time to update the mobile software on your iPhone to the newest version.
Significant improvements have been made to the iPhone with Apple’s most recent release, including enhanced customization options for the home screen and lock screen, enhanced text messaging capabilities, a password-specific app, and a fully revamped photo album.
However, that’s only the visible part.
Apple tends to highlight certain aspects while downplaying others, as usual. Additionally, every year we examine the most recent version of iOS in search of any undiscovered features that not only remain undiscovered but also have the potential to influence our daily use of iPhones. Here are some of the little-known but useful hidden features and settings for iOS 18 that you should be aware of even if Apple didn’t fully discuss them.
For additional information, see these seven iOS 18 settings you should adjust immediately, how to properly backup your iPhone, and the reasons you might want to postpone updating.
1. Turn on your iPhone again using the updated control panel
If you’re using iOS 18, you can restart your iPhone without pressing any physical buttons. All of the familiar classic controls—brightness, volume, orientation, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi—are still included in the redesigned control center, along with a few new ones, such as a restart button for your iPhone.
To access the new power button located in the top-right corner of the control center, simply scroll down from the top-right corner of your iPhone and press and hold it. To turn off your iPhone, you have to hold it down for a brief moment rather than merely tapping it. After that, the slider will show up.
You’ll still need to press and hold the actual side button to turn your iPhone back on.
2. To share your WiFi password, use a QR code
There are several methods available for using your iPhone to share a Wi-Fi network and password, and iOS 18 introduces a new method for doing so. A QR code can help you quickly share your Wi-Fi information by addressing a few holes in the information:
- Share simultaneously with multiple people. You can scan the QR code from your phone and have everyone scan it instead of giving out your Wi-Fi password one by one.
- Give to someone who isn’t on your contact list. Wi-Fi nearby sharing is not functional unless the recipient is added to your contacts.
- Give a copy to an Android user. AirDrop and Nearby sharing are incompatible with Android devices.
You can use the QR code instead of texting the Wi-Fi password to someone if you find yourself in any of those situations. Navigate to the Wi-Fi section of the newly installed Passwords app, choose the network you wish to share, and then select Show Network QR Code. The second person will join to the Wi-Fi network if they use their camera to scan the QR code.
3. Change the flashlight’s beam width
The iPhone’s flashlight is receiving a significant improvement. As long as your device is compatible, iOS 18 allows you to modify the flashlight’s beam width in addition to its long-standing ability to modify intensity. You can utilize more light over a larger area by going wide, or you can use more intense light over a smaller area by going narrow, and all the way in between. You can experiment with it to see how fun it is to light people for pictures.
Turn on your flashlight (via the control center or lock screen) to take advantage of the new feature. The dynamic island will then display a new user interface. Swiping up and down will vary the light’s intensity; however, swiping left and right will modify the beam’s width. Touching wherever on the dynamic island will toggle the flashlight on and off.
4. Voice memos should be transcribed and made searchable
Though it’s quite handy to record ideas or song snatches with the Voice Memos app, the recordings have always been obscured. You can give them a catchy title, but it won’t help you locate that one memo you made with the term “porcupine.” However, as of iOS 18, the app can now search for words that were only previously available as audio waveforms and transcribe your voice memos.
To access the controls of a memo in the Voice Memos app, tap one of your memos. Then, tap the Edit Recording icon, which resembles a waveform. Alternatively, select Edit Recording by tapping the three dots icon to the right of a message.
Then, if the text has already been transcribed, you can view it by tapping the Transcribe button. Click “Done.”
Now, the app searches not just the titles but also the transcripts when you utilize the Search bar to find results. The text may also be found across iOS; if you search from the home screen, Voice Memos will appear as a category including the memos that contain the search term (you might have to touch Show More Results to view it).
5. To make your home screen cleaner, hide app labels.
Is there a hint of clutter on your home screen? If so, this new function might be useful. App labels, or the names of the programs that appear beneath each icon on your home screen, can now be removed with iOS 18. Is the label really necessary if you can identify an app by its icon alone?
Press and hold any empty place on your home screen to bring up the jiggle mode. Then select Edit > Customize. At the bottom of the screen, a choice will appear. Select the Large option to eliminate the app labels and significantly enlarge your program icons.
6. Without leaving the home screen, switch from an app to a widget
You don’t have to search through the widget edit page to find the widget for your home screen if an iOS app offers one. You can rapidly convert an app from your home screen into a widget if you’re running iOS 18 and desire to do so.
To access the fast actions menu on a compatible app, press and hold down on the icon on your home screen. An app icon will appear adjacent to a range of widget icons (up to three), if the app has any. To convert an app into a widget, simply tap on any of the widget icons. To return from the widget to the app, select the app icon on the left from the quick action menu.
7. Recognize tunes covertly using the Action Button
To be honest, it’s nice to be able to rapidly respond to inquiries like “What song is this?” by using the iPhone’s Music Recognition feature. However, in order to get the answer, you must clearly ask Siri to launch Shazam or turn on Control Center’s Music Recognition. Isn’t it entertaining to give the impression to your friends that you are an expert in pop music?
With iOS 18, you can almost get there with the Action Button (which is limited to iPhone 15 Pro devices right now). Navigate to Settings > Action Button and pick Recognize Music by swiping through the available selections.
Simply press and hold the Action Button for a few seconds to get it to operate. Shazam shows up on the lively island to hear what’s playing and recognizes the tune. No one has to know if you secretly activate Shazam and take a quick look at your phone to get help from a cloud supercomputer.
8. Use the Photos app to find pictures with handwritten text and artwork
iOS 18 brings many changes to the Photos app, including a reorganized layout and the addition of generative AI for object removal (which will be available next month). Additionally, Apple has included a few surprises in the app to assist you in organizing your collection.
Once you pass the main library, scroll down to see sections like People, Pets, and Memories until you get to Utilities. Press it to see the entire list; however, take note that this interface now allows you to swipe left to see more panels. Before iOS 18, you could access hidden, recently deleted, and duplicate photos via Utilities.
It has a lot more possibilities now. To see pictures that contain handwriting, tap Handwriting. Are you trying to find graphics instead of photos? Press Illustrations (but this also appears to take a lot of screenshots based on our tests).
9. Send a certain audio segment to a friend
Have the hosts of your preferred podcast said something particularly insightful or humorous that you feel compelled to share with others? You can forward an episode to a friend in the Podcasts app on iOS 18 with playback progressed to that point, although it’s not immediately obvious how to do so.
To see the playback controls and pause the episode, tap the Now Playing bar located at the bottom of the screen in the app. To return to the beginning of the portion you wish to share, use the progress bar.
After that, select Share Episode by tapping the More (…) button. Tap From Start beneath the episode title to bring up the sharing choices, then choose From [the current time]. Click “Done.”
Finally, select the sharing mechanism, such Mail or Messages. The option to Play from [the time] will appear when the recipient receives the shared episode and opens it in the Podcasts app.