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The first public beta version of iOS 18 has been officially released!

Friends who want to experience it can go to Apple's Beta Software Program page, log in to their Apple ID and register as a developer account, then select Beta update in the iPhone's system settings to receive push notifications.

I have already upgraded my main iPhone 15 Pro Max to the iOS 18 public beta version. After using it for a week, I found that this version has made great progress in system stability compared to the previous developer preview version. Except for a few interfaces/menus that have not been fully translated into Chinese, I have not found any abnormal bugs. The battery life is also consistent with the official version of iOS 17.5, which has almost no impact on daily use.

For those who are still hesitating, if you have a spare phone, I strongly recommend that you upgrade to the public beta version to experience it. Many new features can be said to be rigid needs. It's time to upgrade.

01

T9 dialing is finally here

This is my favorite feature after upgrading to iOS 18, no doubt about it - T9 dialing, commonly known as nine-square dialing, is finally adapted on iOS.

According to my actual test, you only need to enter two or three digits of the contact's phone number to basically lock it quickly, even the middle digits will work. However, you cannot quickly lock the name for the time being, because it can only recognize English (for example, entering 27753 is Apple). In the future, it should support pinyin soon to meet the needs of domestic users. I believe this small problem will be solved in the official version of iOS 18 in September.

02

Smarter album management

In recent iOS versions, Apple has added several folders to the photo album. We can quickly filter by people, geographic locations, etc. In the latest iOS 18, Apple also uses AI functions to intelligently identify photo albums and generate travel diaries for a certain time period or place, which is quite useful.

However, for someone like me who forgets everything and uses the photo album as a memo, I think the newly added additional categories are more practical. For example, you can quickly filter screenshots, animated images, etc. It can even recognize the content of the album and sort out hand-drawn pictures and receipts (invoices) by category. For example, I found an account that I didn’t report half a year ago here. If it weren’t for this function, I would not be able to find the invoice saved at that time among thousands of photos in the album, and I would have lost hundreds of dollars in vain...

03

App privacy enhancement

Usually, it is inevitable to lend your phone to others, and it is impossible to keep an eye on them. App lock is also a feature that everyone has been calling for. I have experienced the app lock function of iOS 18. I think its advantage is that you don’t need to go into the mobile manager or privacy protection box to set it up like on the Android platform. You only need to long press on the desktop icon and select "Require Face ID", which is much more convenient to operate.

In addition, we can also put the App icons into a hidden folder. After locking the App, there will be no push notifications, and it cannot be found through search and other functions, making it completely "invisible" and no longer worried about others snooping on your privacy.

04

Customizable Control Center

Compared to the desktop layout that was introduced at great length at WWDC, I think the changes to the control center are more practical. In iOS 18, all modules of the control bar can be adjusted by yourself. For example, many people are more accustomed to using physical keys to control the volume. You can completely delete the volume slider and replace it with other function keys.

The size of these modules can also be customized. For example, I set the song playback module to full screen, which makes it easy to view lyrics, collect songs, quickly switch songs, etc. I like it anyway.

By the way, on this interface, you can also quickly switch cellular networks. This function is also very convenient. You no longer need to enter multiple sub-menus in the system settings. It is very efficient.

05 A terrifying calculator

In iOS 18, the calculator has also been significantly updated. You may not use it for scientific calculations, but functions such as unit conversion and international exchange rates are very simple and easy to use.

However, some people may say that Android calculators have all these functions. In iOS 18, a "math notes" function has been added, which means that you can write down the calculation formula by hand and get the answer directly, even mathematical formulas, functions, etc., no problem. You can even directly generate function graphs to facilitate user understanding, which is extremely student-friendly.

The only regret is that the iPhone screen is small, making handwriting inconvenient. It is sufficient for basic calculations. If you want a better experience, you can write more freely on iPad with Apple Pencil.

06

Standalone Password Management App

The password recording function has been available in previous iOS versions, but it was previously stored in the iCloud Keychain in the system settings, and some users may not know about this function at all. Now Apple has upgraded this function and put it in the foreground, providing an independent app to let more people see it.

In the Password App, you can manage browser and App passwords in one stop, including WiFi passwords, which can be quickly viewed and edited. In addition, I think it is more convenient to provide a sharing function. For example, if I want to lend my video membership account to a friend, I can directly share it with the authorized user. If I change the password in the future, I can also synchronize it directly without having to ask again every time.

07

Game Mode Implementation

Every year, the iPhone brings the best performance of the same period. Even so, iPhone has begun to take games seriously. Can you believe it? Yes, the game mode that has been launched on macOS has also come to the iOS platform.

We don't need to make any settings, it will automatically open when entering the game. After it is turned on, the system will call more resources to the foreground game, and the delay of peripherals such as Bluetooth headsets, keyboards and mice will be further reduced, bringing a better gaming experience. This function is quite useful for gamers.

08

No more carsickness

This is a feature that has few usage scenarios but can really solve the problem. Motion sickness is a problem that many people will encounter, especially those who like to look at their phones while riding in a car. It is strongly recommended that you turn on this feature.

Because shaking is inevitable when looking at the phone in the car, and the "misalignment" of the brain and vision can easily lead to dizziness, nausea and other problems. After turning on this function, multiple small dots will appear around the phone screen. After detecting shaking, the small dots will move in the opposite direction, allowing the eyes to subconsciously follow the movement, offsetting the shaking of the phone to the greatest extent, and naturally reducing the feeling of dizziness. From my experience during this period, it is still very effective.

09

Desktop layout is more free

Customizable desktop layout is nothing for the Android platform, but Apple has been working on this feature for so long that it has prepared quite a few tricks.

Not only can you freely arrange the icons according to your needs to avoid apps blocking your face, but I think what is even more practical is that the icon colors can be customized. In addition to the system's built-in dark and light modes, you can also use the eyedropper to directly extract the wallpaper color to make the icons a unified color scheme - many people will put apps of the same color scheme on the same screen, now you don't have to be so troublesome.

In the public beta version, problems such as the disappearance of system icons that may have been encountered in previous development versions have been resolved. Third-party apps such as WeChat and Weibo can also change colors according to the system. The interface has become more harmonious and unified, and the experience has been greatly improved.

10

The much-anticipated Apple Intelligence

If there is one regret about the iOS 18 public beta, it is that Apple’s big AI model (Apple Intelligence) is still not online.

Compared with other current AI functions, the advantage of Apple Intelligence is that it can be specially customized according to the user's personal data, such as generating birthday greetings based on the user's avatar, or reminding the user whether there is a conflict in new instructions based on the existing schedule, or more powerful contextual understanding capabilities. These are leapfrog experiences in the current mobile phone market, and even in all large model technologies.

However, this feature requires relatively powerful performance and currently only supports devices with A17 Pro and M series chips. In the subsequent official version of iOS 18, the first batch will only support the English system. The Chinese version may have to wait for a while before it can be used. Even if it lacks the most important Apple Intelligence capabilities, the current iOS 18 public beta version is already worth upgrading. While improving the experience, it also brings a lot of urgently needed functions, which is very worthy of everyone's experience as soon as possible.

Source: Smart Cat