With the newly-launched iPhone 16 comes iOS 18, Apple’s latest version of the mobile operating system, and one which comes with plenty of changes to think about. Not only is Apple Intelligence one of the key selling points of the brand’s new-gen of devices, but iOS 18 has brought the usual shake-up of features.
Frankly, redesigns aren’t always needed and it can sometimes have a negative effect on your experience – especially if you’re already comfortable with your current configuration. Regardless, there are some great new features and we’ve compiled a list of the best settings adjustments for new iOS 18 users.
What settings should you change on iOS 18?
- Turn on RCS Messaging (Settings > Apps > Messages > RCS Messaging). Rich Communication Services is an upgraded messaging protocol and will provide better communication with Android devices. You can read more about it from Google here.
- For more privacy, turn off Shared with You (Settings > Apps > Messages > Shared with You). This isn’t necessary, but this feature is fairly intrusive, as it can share private content (for example an address) in your messages to other apps. You can toggle this off completely, or control it per app to your liking.
- Hide App labels (Press and hold on the Home Screen, tap Edit > Customize > Large). This one is optional, but if you’re used to your app’s icons, then the ‘Large’ setting will remove the text and create an overall cleaner look in our opinion.
- Optimized Battery Charging (Settings > Battery > Charging). You can turn on ‘Optimized Battery Charging’ to help preserve your battery for when you need it most. Alternatively, you can manually set your Charge Limit to below 100% – this can help lengthen your physical battery’s lifespan in the long run according to some brands.
- Change lock screen shortcuts (Press and hold on the Lock Screen > Customize > tap Lock Screen option > Edit the two options in the bottom left and right of the screen). This is another neat feature in iOS 18 if you don’t want only the camera and flashlight shortcuts available on the lock screen – change these to whatever you’d like from the options available.
Has anything changed for the worse?
While we could go on all day about what makes the ‘perfect’ operating system, a lot of this comes down to personal preference. Regardless, one thing that has seemingly struck a chord with iOS 18 users online would be the change to the Photos App, namely the lack of a ‘Tab-Style’ user interface. This is definitely something we’d have to agree with.
In a popular post on Reddit, one user pointed out that four separate tabs labeled ‘Library’, ‘Albums’, ‘For You’, and ‘Search’ have all been merged into a single page. As such, this means anyone with a long list of photos (many of you, we’re sure) will be stuck endlessly scrolling down a single page. Even more annoyingly, switching out of the tab will reset you back to the top of the Library, whereas your position would previously be remembered when switching through the tabs in iOS 17.
Luckily, a couple of third-party apps such as Find and Kiano may resolve this for you. Alternatively, Apple has added the ‘Customize & Reorder’ option at the very bottom of your photo library if you want to reorganize or completely remove a section.
