After using the iOS 18 beta for months and spending a week with the stable version of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, I’ve developed some strong opinions about its features. Below, I break down what I liked and where I felt iOS 18 fell short and could have done a better job.
Note: This article is based on my personal experience, and your opinion may differ.
Table of Contents
Features I Liked on iOS 18
1. Math Notes
When Apple announced Math Notes at WWDC, it immediately caught my attention. It works just as advertised. Instead of using the Calculator app, I can now write calculations as notes and see results instantly—all in my handwriting. The only drawback is that iPhones don’t support the Apple Pencil, making this feature more useful on the iPad. Nevertheless, it’s a welcome addition to the Apple ecosystem.
2. Writing Tools
Writing Tools is an Apple Intelligence feature that allows you to summarize, rewrite, proofread, and adjust the tone of selected text. I’ve used it to make my emails read more professional and to quickly summarize articles. While I find ChatGPT’s results slightly better, the convenience of having these tools accessible in any app with just a text selection is a big advantage. Like Math Notes, this feature shines more on the Mac but is still a great addition to the iPhone.
3. Control Center
The redesigned Control Center in iOS 18 is a standout feature. You can now add controls from third-party apps, rearrange and resize them, and even create multiple pages of controls if needed. Customization can be done directly from the Control Center, making it user-friendly. If you prefer the old UI, you can customize the Control Center. Overall, it’s more flexible and customizable than ever.
4. Message App Features and RCS Support
The Messages app received several small but useful updates, such as new text effects and formatting options. You can now schedule messages to send later. But the biggest addition is RCS support. This means you can message Android users with read receipts, typing indicators, and high-quality media sharing. It’s a much-needed upgrade that makes messaging between platforms much better.
5. Safari Features
Safari introduced three new features. Reader mode is now more customizable and easier to access, while the highlights feature brings essential information like location, people, music, important information, etc. to the forefront. Summary Highlights provide a quick summary of the article for easy scanning.
However, the real star is the distraction control feature, which helps remove ads and pop-ups with a satisfying Thanos snap animation.
6. Passwords App
The new Passwords app consolidates passwords, verification codes, passkeys, Sign in with Apple accounts, and Wi-Fi passwords, which were previously scattered across different areas. Now, all your password-related items are stored in one place, secured by Face ID or Touch ID. There are also a couple of new features like password sharing through shared groups and the ability to check the passwords of all connected Wi-Fi networks.
Interestingly, during tests, Password apps notified me that my Netflix account password had been detected in a data leak and needed to be updated ASAP.
7. Locked and Hidden Apps
There are two features that will help keep your apps secure on iPhones that support iOS 18. The Lock App feature allows you to set a separate passcode for apps, different from your iPhone passcode. Alternatively, you can unlock them using Face ID or Touch ID.
If you want to hide an app completely, you can place it in a locked folder. The best part is that once hidden, these apps cannot be found through search or even in the Settings app.
8. Updated Siri
Siri got overhauled in iOS 18 with Apple Intelligence in mind. It is now much smarter with improved contextual understanding and awareness of what’s on the screen. Siri also has a more natural voice now, a new animation with the ability to type your commands.
Thanks to the vocal shortcuts accessibility feature, you can even rename Siri on your iPhone. However, Apple also promised ChatGPT integration for more advanced queries, but that feature is still not available yet.
9. Email and Notification Summaries
Another Apple Intelligence feature that’s quite useful is the email and notification summaries. Normally, when you receive a notification or check emails, it’s hard to grasp the content at a glance, requiring you to open each mail for full details.
With AI-powered notification and email summaries feature, you get a quick overview directly in the notification or email list.
iOS 18 Features That are Meh
1. Photos App Redesign
While I appreciate the new AI search in the Apple Photos app, the redesign has made navigation quite confusing. Viewing photos is confusing as things constantly shift, photos get smaller with a single tap, and some gestures have been removed.
Despite the introduction of some useful features like hiding screenshots and wallpaper suggestions, the overall redesign feels like a downgrade to me.
2. Home Screen Customization
While some were excited about the home screen customization, I feel most of the options fall short. The tinted icons don’t look great on all apps and the dark icons don’t make all app icons look dark. Although I do appreciate the ability to place app icons anywhere on the screen, it’s not as seamless as on Android.
For example, you can position icons wherever you want, but if you move one, the other icons move too and disrupt the entire layout. If you’ve tried adjusting the home screen, you’ll likely be frustrated by the constant shifting of app positions. It feels like a mix of iPhone and Android behavior, which makes it difficult to manage.
3. Files App is Still Too Basic
I feel the Files app on iPhone needs a major overhaul and, more importantly, should provide full access to all files. While I understand why Apple prefers to hide system files, the Files app doesn’t even allow you to easily find photos, documents, notes, or other content.
It lacks the feature richness of Android file managers. Right now, the app is mostly useful for accessing files on external drives. Even the new features are focused on external drives, like erasing or formatting them, which doesn’t add much for everyday use.
4. Clean Up Tool Is Not Up There
Clean Up is a photo editing feature that uses AI to remove objects or photobombers from your photos. While it works as promised and is a useful feature, I’ve seen better results with Google’s Magic Editor. Since the Magic Editor is already available in the Google Photos app, the Clean Up tool is a nice addition, but I already have a better alternative at hand.
Also Read: Not sure about the new Camera Control button on the new iPhone 16 series? You can disable that button from Accessibility settings.
5. Call Recording and Live Voicemail
Finally, your iPhone can record phone calls. However, they are limited to only a few countries. More concerning is that Apple’s call recording feature announces to the other person that recording has been initiated. While this announcement is required in some countries, not all have laws mandating them. Apple could follow Samsung’s approach and implement discreet call recording in regions where it’s not legally required.
6. Game Mode
There is a new game mode in iOS 18. But it turns out Apple only stops background activities to boost gaming performance, and that’s about it. You can set a gaming-related focus mode, but there’s no game recording option, no FPS display, and no notification control. It’s simply an automated feature that activates in the background and works without any customization options for the user. Pretty basic stuff.
7. Reduce Interruptions
This is an AI-powered focus mode that only sends you important notifications while blocking the rest. It’s a major addition, as it allows you to avoid distractions without worrying about missing critical notifications. However, after using the feature, I noticed that it often misses important notifications, like work-related Slack messages that require immediate attention.
At the same time, it sometimes lets through less important messages and chats. What I classify as important doesn’t always align with what Apple Intelligence deems important, making the feature less useful for me.
In summary, iOS 18 delivers several welcome improvements, but some of its most anticipated features fall short in my experience. Well, I have only listed the features that I liked and disliked. There are even more features on the iOS 18 that you can check here:
