Since Apple wrapped up its WWDC 2024 keynote in early June, iOS 18 has been on my mind. Every year, Apple unveils its annual iPhone software update at its developer conference before releasing a beta version with those changes and improvements. Usually, it’s my job to dive deep into that beta version so I can fill the void with profiles, how-tos, and assessments of all the changes coming to all iPhones this fall.
And that’s exactly what happened with iOS 18 this year. As soon as the keynote ended, I installed the iOS 18 developer beta on an iPhone to get a first look at the features Apple had unveiled during WWDC. In mid-July, I put the public beta through its paces. By the time Apple was ready to release a full version of iOS 18—which happened last Monday (September 16)—four different devices were running some form of the operating system update, including the latest beta on the iPhone 12, which I use as my everyday phone.
What I’m saying here is that I’m pretty familiar with the details of this update.
You can read my thoughts on the new iPhone software in my iOS 18 review. But if you can’t take the time to read through that book—no, Tom’s Guide doesn’t pay me per word—I’ve prepared this quick summary of what I like about iOS 18 and what I think needs some fine-tuning from the updates Apple will inevitably make to its software.
So if you’re ready to download and install iOS 18 and are wondering which of the new iPhone features you want to try first, here’s a roundup of my key takeaways from the past three months of using iOS 18.
The biggest change in iOS 18: Photos
When you start up your iPhone after installing a new operating system, most of the time everything looks the same, even if Apple has introduced significant new features. The same can’t be said for iOS 18 Photos, which is undergoing a major redesign – the biggest in the app’s history, Apple says.
The changes to Photos in iOS 18 are so extensive that the version of the app that appears in the publicly released build doesn’t even look like the one in the early versions of the iOS 18 beta. Originally, Apple included a carousel at the top of the Photos app; if you swiped left or right from the standard view of your photo library, you’d see a collection of photos. But starting with iOS 18 beta 5, Apple dropped that feature to focus on the photo library, apparently reflecting feedback from the beta process.
That’s not the feedback I would have given. While I thought earlier versions of iOS 18 Photos could have made it clearer that there’s something on either side of the photo library if you swipe randomly, I like that the carousel highlighted what I like best about Photos – discovering images I might have otherwise forgotten about. Some of that sense of discovery is missing in the current version – or at least it’s been pushed back.
The basics of the new Photos design are still there. Launch the app and your photo library fills the top half of the screen, while other collections take up the bottom half. Swiping down takes you deeper into the photo library, while swiping up lets you explore different collections, albums, and memories.
It’s a look you have to get used to. I’ve been using iOS 18 for months and am Despite it not used to it. But at least you have some say in configuring the order in which all those collections, reminders, and albums appear. Just scroll to the bottom of the app and tap the “Customize & Reorder” command.
My favorite feature of iOS 18: Notes
The new version of Notes introduces a handful of important changes, but each one proves to be better than the last. If you don’t use Apple’s built-in app to jot down ideas or organize your thoughts, the iOS 18 version should prompt you to give Notes a try.
Math in Notes will attract most of your attention because it’s so eye-catching—you can write down a math formula and the new built-in calculator will find a solution. Frankly, though, it’s difficult to use this particular feature on a 6.1-inch iPhone screen with your finger as your primary input tool—it works better with an Apple Pencil on an iPad-sized display. But Math in Notes also lets you enter formulas, such as a running statement of expenses. If you change the data inputs, Notes updates the total. It’s a very clever way to make sure your notes are up to date.
It’s the other additions to Notes that really impress me. I like the collapsible sections that Apple added because they help me organize my notes better. And I love that you can now record an audio note directly in Notes instead of linking to a recording from the Voice Memos app. The auto-generated transcripts are also helpful, although not always as accurate as I would like.
My other favorite feature of iOS 18: Fitness
I’ve written elsewhere about how much I’ve used the Fitness app since iOS 16 made it possible to track your steps without the additional need to wear an Apple Watch. It really helps me get moving, although sometimes the constant prodding of the app makes me want to move when I should be giving my body a rest.
Just like the watchOS 11 update Apple just released, iOS 18 changes the Fitness app to let you pause activity streaks, so you can take a day off to recover from an injury or illness without losing your progress toward a new badge. (In fact, you can pause your streak indefinitely if you really need a little more recovery time.) Even better, you can customize your daily move goals for each day of the week, keeping in mind that some days will be more intense than others.
The iOS 18 version of Fitness finally recognizes that we all approach exercise and movement in different ways and at different times. Of all the customization tools Apple added in this update—and there are many—this one is the best.
My least favorite iOS 18 feature: Safari Highlights
I don’t hate the Highlights feature in Safari, which tries to quickly pull important information from the web pages you visit. I just don’t think it provides useful data in its current version, and finding the feature isn’t very intuitive.
Highlights is intended to provide information about places, people, movies, shows, and songs, but right now Places seems to be the most common. This information is usually the location of the place on a map and its hours of operation – information that is arguably easier to look up in the Maps app.
And that’s assuming you even know there are highlights to see. A little purple AI icon in the address bar is supposed to let you know there’s more to see here, but it’s very easy to miss.
You’d think that all of the Safari additions in iOS 18 could use a little more development time. The most polished feature is the summaries that appear in Safari’s Reader view and give you the gist of the article you’re reading. But by their nature, they only scratch the surface. The Hide Distractions tool lets you banish distracting elements from a web page with a simple tap, but you do this while scrolling down the page, which feels just as distracting. If possible, it’s better to just look at the page in Reader.
What I would like to see more of in iOS 18: Customization
Customization is a big theme in iOS 18. You can change the look of your home screen and place apps wherever you want, rather than in a strict grid. You can even customize the control shortcuts that appear on your lock screen, and several apps allow you to reorganize things to your own liking.
I think this is a big step for Apple. If anything, I would like to see the company take it one step further.
For example, you can change the color of app icons as part of the home screen customization tools. That’s great – except that everyone The icon must be the same shade. I would have liked the ability to assign different colors to different app types to have an easy visual cue of what kind of activity is happening on each home screen I set up. But that’s not an option yet in iOS 18.
I also like the newfound ability to remove certain interface elements from the main fitness app screen. However, I would have also liked the ability to rearrange sections of the overview screen, but that doesn’t seem to be a real option.
What I’m looking forward to in iOS 18.1
As I noted in my review, Apple Intelligence is missing from the just-released version of iOS 18, although that’s by design. Apple plans to release the first Apple Intelligence features in October as part of the iOS 18.1 update. If you have a phone that can run Apple Intelligence—that’s one of last year’s iPhone 15 Pro models or one of the new iPhone 16 devices hitting stores this Friday (September 20)—you can try out the new writing tools and image-generating features.
Several Apple Intelligence features will be available in later updates, and reports suggest we may see more features for compatible phones by 2025.
Out of necessity, I’ve focused on the major iOS 18 update, although I’ve also played around a bit with the iOS 18.1 developer beta, which lets you test out the first features of Apple Intelligence. As someone who has a complicated relationship with Siri, I’m very curious to see how the revamped digital assistant performs in everyday use thanks to the added intelligence of Apple Intelligence. I stammer slightly, which has made it difficult for me to communicate with Siri in the past, so I’m especially curious to see if there’s any truth to the claims that Siri isn’t unsettled when you correct yourself mid-sentence.
Natural language photo search also sounds appealing. It should be much easier to find things using plain language, rather than hoping I’ve found the right combination of keywords to find what I’m looking for. And I’m curious to see if Memory Movie – which lets you put together a slideshow of videos and still images using just a few voice cues – can produce an engaging video.
iOS 18 Outlook
As you might have guessed from the iOS 18 review—you read it, right?—I’m pretty optimistic about the new software update, although my final opinion will depend heavily on how powerful Apple’s intelligence features turn out to be. With the first version of iOS 18 now in the wings, I can roll up my sleeves and dig into iOS 18.1 to see how the rest of this software update pans out.
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