Explore the Latest Features: Top 5 Must-See Updates in the iOS 18 Developer Preview - Insights

Adam Breeden/ZDNET

Apple has finally released the first public beta of its upcoming iOS 18 in advance of the expected release in September. With the public beta comes a new round of features and enhancements that should prove useful and helpful to many iPhone owners.

I’ve been testing the public beta on a spare iPhone. Though I’ve run into several features new to iOS 18 with the public beta, here are five features I think are worth trying right off the bat.

Also: Apple just released the iOS 18 public beta. Here’s how to get it on your iPhone right now

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1. Place your Home screen icons anywhere

With iOS 18, you can customize the Home screen by moving icons to any spot and applying different themes. To dive in, press down on any empty area of the Home screen. Drag an icon to any location on the screen, and it will stay in place. This means you can place icons in columns, as a border around the screen, or just free-floating in space.

Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET

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2. Try a different Home screen theme

Next, you can apply different themes to the Home screen. Press down on any empty area of the Home screen. Tap the Edit button in the upper left and select Customize. At the window at the bottom, you can change the icons between small and large and lighten or darken the wallpaper. You can also choose among four themes for the icons – Automatic, Dark, Light, and Tinted. If you opt for Tinted, you’re able to vary the color and intensity of the tint.

Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET

3. Format your messages with special text effects

The public beta of iOS 18 lets you format and apply special effects to words in a text message. For this, open or start a conversation in Messages. Type a few words as part of a new message. Select any word or words. From the menu that pops up, tap the left or right arrow until you see an option for Text Effects. Tap that option to display the formatting window at the bottom.

You can now apply bold, italics, underline, or strikethrough for the selected text. To spruce it up further, tap one of the text effects, such as Big, Small, Shake, Explore, or Ripple. The only limitation is that the recipient also needs iOS 18 to see the effects.

Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET

4. Schedule a text

Instead of sending a text right away, you can schedule it for a future date or time. For instance, maybe you’re writing a text late at night but want it sent in the morning after the recipient is awake. After composing your message, tap the plus sign on the left, tap the More icon, and then select “Send Later.” Swipe through the dates and times until you find the right combination for when you want the text to be sent. When ready, tap the blue arrow to schedule your text.

Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET

Also: The best iPhone models you can buy right now (and if you should wait for iPhone 16)

5. Lock down an app

You should already be protecting your iPhone with a passcode and Face ID. But you can provide another layer of security for individual apps. Press down on any app. From the popup menu, tap the option for “Require Face ID.” Confirm that you want to require Face ID to launch the app. The next time you try to open it, you’ll be prompted to authenticate with a facial scan.

Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET

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