Apple is bringing us plenty of functional and exciting updates with iOS 18. Here are three of the areas where we’ll see the biggest changes and a few tips for getting started with your new update.
More to Do in Messages
Schedule a Text Message
Text scheduling is here! I repeat, text scheduling is here! No longer are we forced to use shortcuts to ensure a message we mean to send later will actually go out. To schedule a message, just enter the message you want to send, tap the plus icon to the left of your text field, then tap Send Later (you might have to tap More to find this option). Select your time and date, then tap the send arrow and your text will send at the selected time.
Animate Your Words
Have you ever thought your text could have a little more pizzazz? With iOS 18, you can animate your typed words, letting them grow, shrink, explode, shake, and more. All you have to do is tap the text formatting button to the right beside your word suggestions and select the effect you want. You can select it before typing to animate an entire sentence or select a single word or phrase to animate. As you type, your iPhone might give you text effect suggestions you can implement by tapping.
Make a Bold Point
iOS 18 is bringing some of our favorite text formatting options to Messages. You now have bold, italics, underline, and strikethrough options at your fingertips. To utilize any of these options, tap the new text formatting icon to the right of your word suggestions and select one of the text formatting icons at the top. You can also select a word or phrase after it’s typed to add the effect then. Unlike with text effects, your word suggestions will not offer options to bold, italicize, underline, or strike through words so you will have to add it in yourself.
Take Your Reactions to the Next Level
If you’re a frequent text reactor like I am, you might have been feeling limited by the handful of reaction options we’ve had thus far. With iOS 18, you can choose any emoji or sticker to react to a text message, opening up your self expression to your entire emoji database. Just long press on the message to react as you normally would, swipe through the new and redesigned reactions, and tap the emoji icon. Choose the emoji or sticker you’d like to react with and enjoy more nuanced one-tap replies!
Send Your Texts Via Satellite
Need to send a text message but don’t have Wi-Fi or Cellular? You can now send and receive messages via satellite. It is a good idea to test this feature before you end up needing it, so Apple created a demo. Open the Control Center by and tap the bundle with your Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Cellular icons. Tap Satellite. Select Try Demo, then follow the on-screen directions to connect to a nearby satellite. Just like the Emergency SOS satellite feature, texts via satellite will be free at first, but may come with a fee in the future. For more great iOS 18 hidden tips and features, be sure to sign up for our free Tip of the Day newsletter so you can be the first to know.
Next-Level Customization
Design the App Icons of Your Dreams
Customizing app icons used to be complicated but with iOS 18 it just takes a few taps! Long press on an empty part of your Home Screen until it enters jiggle mode. Tap Edit, then select Customize. Pick between Automatic, Dark, Light, and Tinted. Tinted will automatically pick a color scheme that matches your wallpaper, or you can customize it by using the sliders. If you tap on the sun icon you can pick between a lighter look or a darker look. Select Large to see larger app icons and no text underneath them. If you select Small, you will see the default-sized icons with the app names underneath them.
Find the Perfect Widget Size
We’ve had the ability for some time now to choose from a handful of sizes for our widgets, but each size was locked to a particular widget shape that might not have been our top choice. Now, you can resize your widgets directly on your Home Screen without going through the process of selecting the shape and size in the Widget screen. Just long press on your Home Screen until it enters jiggle mode, then drag a corner of your desired widget to resize it. The apps and other widgets around it will shift to make room. While you can’t make widgets any smaller than the current smallest offered size, you can drag to change its shape. Play around and see what you like!
Customize Your Lock Screen Shortcuts
Personally, I find the flashlight Lock Screen shortcut very annoying. I’m always accidentally pressing it and someone has to tell me that my flashlight is on. With iOS 18, you can customize your Lock Screen shortcuts to instead launch apps, shortcuts, dark mode, Music, Notes, and more. Just long press on your Lock Screen when your screen is unlocked, tap Customize, tap Lock Screen, then tap the minus button over the Lock Screen shortcut you want to replace. Then, tap the empty slot and choose the new shortcut you’d like to put there. Tap Done when you’re finished. Then, enjoy your new Lock Screen shortcut!
Move Apps Anywhere
iOS 18 brings creative freedom to your app layout. You can now drag and drop your app icons to any slot, allowing you to play around with the location and leave spaces between the apps. This is great for if you want to work around a wallpaper image or space your apps out more than before. Just long press on an empty part of your Home Screen to enter jiggle mode then drag and drop to your heart’s content! You need to still stick to the grid layout, so the spaces you can move the app icons to aren’t fully unlimited, but you can enjoy free design like never before.
Amp Up Your Action Button
If you have an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, you’re familiar with the Action Button that lets you quick launch an app. With this new update, the options for your Action Button have expanded to include recognizing a song, launching a control from the Control Center, and starting an Accessibility feature. While I do like launching my camera from my Action Button, I’m also excited about the song recognition feature as sometimes a song is almost over and I don’t have enough time to get Siri to listen or open my Shazam app. To customize this, simply open Settings, tap Action Button, and swipe through to your preferred control. Try out many to see what you like best!
