Change the 8 Most Important iPhone Settings After You Install iOS 18.2

In case you’ve been holding off on updating your iPhone to iOS 18.2 till you’ve some free time — or simply if you’re in a position to catch a breath — the vacations are an awesome alternative. You’ve got obtained a while to set up and run the replace, however extra necessary is the possibility to discover the latest options, from Apple Intelligence to new methods to work together with Maps.

I’ve put collectively my record of eight options and settings it is best to change proper now, together with a number of the top-tier options and some that fly below the radar. And should you do have an iPhone that can run Apple Intelligence, make sure you try the options you are going to use most. (Or if in case you have little interest in them, discover ways to flip off Apple Intelligence.)

For extra on what’s new in iOS 18, study enhancements to Apple Maps and the Messages app. Do not forget to seek the advice of the iOS 18 improve guidelines, which incorporates ensuring you’ve a correct backup earlier than upgrading.

Change the default buttons on the lock display

In actual property, location is every thing, and the underside corners of the iPhone lock display are the prime spots, every a straightforward thumb press away when your gadget continues to be locked. Earlier than iOS 18, these posts have been held by the flashlight and digicam buttons, with no method to change them.

In iOS 18, you possibly can lastly change them with different buttons — or take away them fully, a balm for folk who unknowingly activate the flashlight (consider me, there is a higher method to flip it on). You possibly can add buttons to acknowledge music by way of Shazam, allow Darkish Mode, set an alarm/timer, allow Airplane Mode, open your Pockets, ship cash by way of Faucet to Money and extra.

Here is how:

1. On the iPhone’s lock display, contact and maintain anyplace on the show till you see the Customise button. You will must unlock the cellphone utilizing Face ID, Contact ID or your passcode. If it opens the house display, swipe down from the center-top of the display (not the proper edge, which brings up Management Heart.
2. Faucet Customise after which select Lock Display screen.
3. Take away one of many buttons by tapping the – (minus) button on the icon.
4. To switch the button with one other operate, faucet its area (now with a + icon) after which select the one you need on the subsequent display. (You can too decide to depart that area empty with no button.)
5. Repeat these steps for the opposite button if you wish to change it.
6. Faucet Finished if you’re completed.
7. Faucet the lock display once more to exit the customise mode.

Watch this: 11 Hidden Options in iOS 18

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Arrange a number of the new duties accessible on the Motion button

The Motion button on the iPhone 15 Professional, iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Professional changed the devoted mute swap discovered on each earlier iPhone mannequin with a configurable management. By default it serves the identical function — maintain it to show Silent Mode on or off — however you possibly can configure it for different actions like opening the Digital camera app, performing a number of actions without delay and even ordering espresso.

In iOS 18, the Motion button will get new capabilities. You possibly can bypass Management Heart and select a management of your selection, akin to opening the Distant interface for navigating Apple TV or utilizing Shazam to establish a music.

To decide on a special motion for the Motion button, go to Settings > Motion Button. Swipe sideways to pick out and activate one of many accessible actions. For the Controls, Shortcut and Accessibility choices, faucet the Select button to select which particular motion to run.

Give your own home display a radical new look

You would not suppose that placing icons the place you need is a radical new function, however that is as a result of iOS has all the time had a locked association. Apps get added from prime to backside, left to proper. You could possibly rearrange the order by which icons seem and transfer them to different screens, however that was about it.

In iOS 18, apps could be positioned practically anyplace. You not must cope with a wallpaper picture of your youngsters or pets being obscured by icons. They nonetheless adhere to a grid — Apple is not about to sanction anarchy — however could be positioned freely.

Additionally, Darkish mode lastly applies to all the iPhone’s house display, with choices for coloring icons and affecting the brightness of the wallpaper picture. Here is methods to customise the seems.

Prepare apps: Contact and maintain the house display to enter “jiggle mode,” after which drag the icons to new positions. It would nonetheless slide them round to fill areas, however with persistence, you possibly can transfer them into the spots you need.

You can too rapidly flip suitable apps into widgets that show extra info. Maps, as an example, is usually a map of your present location with shortcut buttons to seek for locations or carry up an inventory of close by locations (akin to dinner spots). Contact and maintain the app icon and search for a row of resize buttons within the menu that seems. As soon as expanded past the usual icon measurement, you possibly can drag the deal with within the bottom-right nook of the brand new icon. To get it again to its single icon measurement you could contact and maintain once more and select the single-icon button

Set Darkish mode: In case you’ve ever subjected your self to the retina blast of black textual content on a white background late at evening in a darkened room, you’ll admire the brand new Darkish mode choice for the house and lock screens. iOS has beforehand included a Darkish mode, the place mild backgrounds swap to black or darkish grey, textual content switches to white or mild grey and different interface parts are dimmed to coexist in a darkish atmosphere. That is by no means been utilized to the house and lock screens in any important means — solely the dock and a few widgets — till iOS 18.

First, contact and maintain the house display to enter jiggle mode. Faucet the Edit button within the top-left nook and select Customise from the menu. On the backside of the display, select a mode for the icons and background: Automated, Darkish or Mild (I am going to get to Tinted in a second). In Darkish mode, the icons achieve black backgrounds, and folders and the Dock change into darkish grey. (Builders have the choice of creating Darkish mode icons for his or her apps. Within the meantime, apps not but optimized get a usually darker look.)

In Darkish mode, the background picture additionally modifications. Apple’s default iOS 18 wallpaper dynamically modifications from mild to darkish because the day progresses, or you possibly can select colours that provide each a lightweight and darkish choice. In case you use a photograph, its total publicity is lowered to dim the sunshine output.

In order for you darkish icons however aren’t a fan of the dimmed photograph therapy, faucet the solar icon within the nook of the choices sheet on the backside of the display to toggle again to Mild mode only for the background.

Tinted icons: A brand new and completely different choice is to tint all the app icons so that they share the identical shade. Within the Customise choices on the backside of the display, select Tinted because the icon fashion. You possibly can then modify the Hue (the slider with the colour spectrum) and Luminosity (the slider with the darkish to mild vary) to decide on the colour tint you favor.

What if you wish to match a shade from a background picture? Faucet the eyedropper button after which drag the reticle to pinpoint the colour you need — the border signifies the chosen shade.

The tint is utilized not solely to icons however to widgets as effectively. For a widget akin to Pictures, the pictures it shows present up as duotones to match the theme.

Giant icons: Do the labels beneath every app icon appear redundant to you? Now you possibly can take away the labels and enhance the scale of the icons with one setting. Open the Customise choices as described above and faucet the Giant button.

After making any of those modifications, faucet anyplace on the display to use them and exit the Customise interface.

Change up how the Management Heart seems

Management Heart was as soon as a handy place to rapidly entry controls akin to playback quantity and Airplane mode, however below iOS 18 it is a configurable playground. You possibly can place controls the place you need, resize many to disclose extra info and add new controls on a number of screens.

Swipe down from the top-right nook to disclose the Management Heart (or swipe up from the underside on the iPhone SE). To enter edit mode, contact and maintain or press the + button on the top-left nook.

Simply as with transferring apps, drag a management to a different slot on the display to reposition it. Most of the controls additionally embrace a bottom-right deal with that may resize the management — typically, it reveals the title of the management and its present standing (akin to Flashlight Off).

Management Heart additionally now spans a number of screens. Swipe as much as view controls for media at present enjoying, Residence controls for good lights and home equipment and a web page devoted to the communication choices that seem if you long-press the Connectivity block containing Airplane Mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Mobile and others. Look carefully and you may see that these screens are literally particular person controls expanded to occupy your entire Management Heart space.

You possibly can rearrange the order of these screens by transferring their controls. Suppose you need Residence controls to be the primary swipe as an alternative of Now Enjoying: Within the modifying mode, drag the massive Residence management as much as the earlier display (Now Enjoying will shift to the proper to make room).

To take away controls, faucet the – (minus) button that seems. You can too add different controls: Faucet Add a Management and scroll by the accessible choices starting from beginning a Display screen Recording to a number of accessibility choices.

Learn extra: Greatest iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Professional circumstances

Lock or conceal any of your delicate apps

Our telephones carry a few of our most delicate information, and but it isn’t unusual handy a cellphone to a good friend to view pictures or lookup one thing on-line. That does not imply they are going to snoop, but it surely does not not imply they is likely to be extra curious than you are snug with. For information you need to guarantee stays out of sight or so as to add a layer of safety in entrance of delicate info, iOS 18 provides the flexibility to lock and conceal apps.

For instance, for example you retain an ongoing set of lists of reward concepts for members of the family within the Notes app. You possibly can lock particular person notes, however that requires a separate step. Perhaps a number of concepts have been made as particular person fast notes or drawings. As an alternative of micromanaging entry, you possibly can lock your entire Notes app by doing the next:

Contact and maintain the app icon you need to lock and select Require Face ID or Require Contact ID (or Require Passcode if Face ID or Contact ID usually are not enabled) from the menu that seems. Verify your selection by tapping Require Face ID (or related) within the subsequent dialog.

To take away the authentication step, contact and maintain the app and select Do not Require Face ID (or related).

Nothing outwardly signifies that an app is locked — you may discover out if you attempt to open it. There’s yet another stage of app safety accessible, which is to cover apps in a particular locked folder. Contact and maintain the app and select Require Face ID after which faucet Cover and Require Face ID within the dialog. Verify the motion by tapping Cover App on the subsequent display.

The app disappears from the house display and will get slotted right into a Hidden folder on the backside of the App Library (swipe left past your final house display to view the App Library). To entry apps there, faucet the Hidden folder and authenticate with Face ID.

iOS 18 imposes some limitations on hidden apps. Some, akin to lots of the built-in ones like Notes or Reminders, can solely be locked and can’t be hidden in any respect. Additionally, the Hidden folder locks itself if you launch an app or swipe away from the App Library.

Flip off Loop Movies within the Pictures app

Many apps have carried out a small however annoying (to me) function, and now Pictures below iOS 18.2 has it too: Movies routinely replay if you watch them till you faucet the Pause button. That may be enjoyable a few times, or when viewing quick clips. However I am not a fan of getting to take motion to make them cease every time.

Now I can take motion as soon as. Go to Settings > Pictures, scroll down till you see Loop Movies and switch the choice off. A video will play by itself, however then cease on the finish because it ought to.

In case you’d quite the video did not play in any respect till you faucet the Play button, additionally flip off Auto-Play Movement in the identical Settings display.

Regulate the view of your calendar

Large new options like locking and hiding apps are nice additions however so are the tiny modifications that you simply encounter on daily basis. The Calendar app consists of two new methods to view your schedule.

In iOS 18, if you’re within the Month view in portrait orientation, pinch with two fingers to view extra or fewer particulars. As you “zoom in,” particular person occasions seem as coloured bars after which as labeled occasions with instances, all whereas retaining the month-to-month grid of days and weeks.

The Day view, which breaks down your day hour by hour, now has a brand new Multi Day view that exhibits two consecutive days to provide you context for what’s coming with out turning the cellphone into panorama orientation and viewing the Week view. Faucet the View button on the prime of the Single Day view and select Multi Day from the popup menu.

Enhance film and TV present dialogue within the TV app

Hassle listening to dialogue in films and tv exhibits is not a brand new drawback — for instance, the Apple TV has had a function for some time the place you possibly can ask Siri, “What did she say?” and it’ll routinely again up a number of seconds, activate subtitles and replay that part of the video. You possibly can even purchase soundbars that may overcome muffled TV speech. There are a whole lot of causes it is tougher to listen to dialogue, however the TV app in iOS 18 features a high-tech workaround to make dialog simpler to discern.

When you’re watching a video within the TV app, faucet the Extra (…) button after which develop the Audio heading within the menu that seems; if the cellphone is in horizontal orientation, faucet the Audio Changes button. Faucet Improve Dialogue and select Improve or Increase. They every dampen background noise and lift the dialogue’s audio.

These are only a few new options and modifications in iOS 18. Try our broader protection of Apple Intelligence, extra impressions of the system after utilizing it for months and the way these all work along with the iPhone 16 fashions.