Apple has released public betas for iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and watchOS 11. These updates allow developers to preview the latest Apple software before the official launch. To access the public beta versions, simply add your Apple ID to the Apple Software Program. This lets you join in the pre-release excitement and explore new features before everyone else. However, even if you download the beta versions, you won’t get all the features that will come with the official version. But the beta versions do include some useful features.

Key features of iOS 18

iOS 18 is the upcoming eighteenth major release of Apple’s iOS operating system for iPhone. Announced at the 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), it is the direct successor to iOS 17. Here are some of the exciting features:

Customization options: iOS 18 offers a new way to customize the home screen, lock screen, and Control Center. You can arrange apps and widgets the way you like, even place them above the Dock. New visual effects like dark or tinted themes let you give your icons and widgets a unique look. You can also make icons bigger for easier access and better visual impact.

Photos app redesign: The Photos app has undergone a major redesign. It now unifies the photo library into one view, making it easier to browse photos by themes such as recent days, favorite people, and pets and trips. You can pin your favorite collections for quick access. A new carousel view will highlight daily favorites, helping you relive special moments easily.

Control Center improvements: The redesigned Control Center provides quick access to your most used controls, such as media playback, home control, and connectivity options. You can swipe between these groups and customize the layout to suit your needs. Plus, you can now add third-party app controls for more flexibility and convenience.

Messages via satellite and iMessage updates: iOS 18 introduces satellite messaging to the Messages app, allowing you to communicate without a cellular or Wi-Fi connection. It uses the same technology as iPhone’s existing satellite capabilities. iMessage also gets new text effects, allowing you to format text with bold, italic, underline, and strikethrough. You can use any emoji or sticker as a tapback, and schedule messages to be sent later.

Apple Intelligence: One of the best features in iOS 18 is Apple Intelligence. It combines generative models with personal context to provide a highly relevant and useful experience. It is integrated into iOS 18 to enhance language understanding, image generation, and other tasks.

Key features of iPadOS 18

iPadOS 18 brings major improvements to usability and functionality. Here are the key updates:

-Users can now rearrange widgets and controls to suit their needs, making daily tasks easier and more efficient.

– This feature allows users to navigate apps more easily by morphing into a sidebar, keeping favorite apps and tools within reach. This enhances multitasking by making it easier to switch between app functions.

– Users can now tap and draw on the screen during SharePlay sessions, making remote collaboration more interactive. Additionally, users can remotely control another person’s iPad or iPhone, which is useful for technical support and cooperative work.

-iPadOS 18 introduces smoother and more responsive animations to the interface. New APIs allow developers to integrate these animations into their apps, enhancing the user experience.

-The long-awaited Calculator app includes history tracking and unit conversions. With Apple Pencil, users can handwrite mathematical expressions, which the app calculates and displays in a handwritten style. It supports both basic and scientific calculations and allows saving notes for future reference.