iOS 18 beta 5: All the new features and changes

The fifth beta of iOS 18 is here, with Apple following its two-week release cycle for beta releases. While the last few betas were light on changes, that’s not the case with iOS 18 beta 5.

You can find all the new features and minor enhancements in iOS 18 beta 5 below.

iOS 18 developer beta 5: What’s new and changed

Distraction Control in Safari

iOS 18 beta 5 introduces a new Distraction Control option in Safari. It allows you to manually remove annoying elements from a webpage.

Don’t confuse Distraction Control with an ad blocker since it is not. You must manually remove each individual annoying element, including ads. Plus, the changes don’t carry over to other pages from the same website.

Major tweaks to the Photos app

Apple showed off a revamped Photos app in iOS 18 at WWDC24. The new design has had a controversial reception, with some users liking it and others not so much.

With iOS 18 beta 5, Apple is reversing some of the design changes. The horizontal carousel that allowed users to cycle through Collections is gone. This gives the app a cleaner look and makes it less confusing to use.

Apple has also tweaked the “All Photos” section in the Photos app to display more pictures at once.

Redesigned Control Center icons

iOS 18 beta 5 includes new Control Center icons for Screen Mirroring, Cellular Data, and Low Power mode. Icons for other toggles have also received some design tweaks for improved eligibility.

Dark Mode icons for system apps

With iOS 18 beta 5, the Find My and Maps apps get their long-overdue Dark Mode icons. Other Control Center toggle icons have also received slight design tweaks, including larger graphics for better eligibility.

Dark Mode for Spotlight Search

If you use Spotlight Search with Dark Mode enabled, the app icons will also appear in Dark Mode. This was not the case in previous beta builds.

You can find an archive of everything new and changed in previous iOS 18 beta builds below.

iOS 18 developer beta 4

iCloud option in the Settings menu

iOS 18 beta 4 adds a new ‘iCloud’ entry in the Settings menu from where you can access your iCloud settings. The previous method of tapping your Apple account name at the top of the Settings menu also still works.

Resizable iPhone Mirroring window

In macOS Sequoia beta 4, you can resize the iPhone mirroring window on your Mac. This was previously not possible.

Undo button in the Reminders app

Apple has added an Undo button in the Reminders app in iOS 18 beta 4, enabling you to quickly undo a reminder marked as done.

Preserve camera controls

A new Controls Menu option in iOS 18’s Camera app settings enables you to preserve your “previously used camera tool when expanding the controls menu, rather than showing the list of camera tools.”

Expanded RCS support

iOS 18 beta 4 flips the switch on RCS support in the Messages app for several carriers outside the US, including Orange Spain, T-Mobile UK, and Fido Canada.

New CarPlay wallpapers

iOS 18 beta 4 adds eight new wallpapers for CarPlay. There are basically four wallpapers, with dark and light mode variations.

Here are all 8 new CarPlay wallpapers in iOS 18 beta 4

Lightmode (1/2) pic.twitter.com/KQGvubg9ym

— Aaron (@aaronp613) July 23, 2024

iOS 18 developer beta 3

Slick new flashlight animation

iOS 18 beta 3 further refines the Dynamic Island flashlight animation on the iPhone 14/15 Pro and Pro Max. It shows just how ridiculously good Apple’s animation team is.

OK this new flashlight UI in iOS 18 beta 3 has absolutely no right to go this hard. Too cool pic.twitter.com/vIyaiBYyHp

— Sebastiaan de With (@sdw) July 8, 2024

Dynamic new wallpapers

iOS 18 beta 3 introduces macOS-inspired dynamic color-changing wallpapers. They will change colors depending on the time of the day.

Dark mode for third-party Home Screen app icons

Apple has added Dark Mode icons for third-party icons on the iPhone’s Home Screen. Any app icon that’s a single-color glyph on a solid background will be intelligently recolored to match the system Dark Mode theme. This should complement the new icon customization options introduced in iOS 18 and provide a more consistent look.

iOS 18 Beta 2 vs iOS 18 Beta 3

Dark mode is now in full effect 🔥 pic.twitter.com/7fw5lp4CYs

— Brandon Butch (@BrandonButch) July 8, 2024

Improved Select and Search buttons in the Photos app

iOS 18 beta 3 tweaks the Photos app to always show the Select option at the top. While a small change, this speeds up the process of selecting multiple pictures in the new Photos app.

The Search button is now blue, making it more prominent.

Redesigned emoji picker

iOS 18 beta tweaks the emoji picker, making the emoji bigger and increasing the space between them. This provides a cleaner, clutter-free look. You can also directly access stickers or Memoji from the emoji keyboard.

iOS 18 developer beta 2

The iOS 18 developer beta track isn’t limited to coders. Anybody can try it for a sneak peek at the iPhone’s upcoming features. However, not everybody should try the developer betas. Bugs happen, and third-party apps might not work properly.

So, if a properly functioning iPhone is crucial to your day-to-day existence, we recommend you wait at least until Apple makes the first public beta available in July. That should be far more stable — and less likely to throw your iPhone life into chaos. (Feel like risking it? Here’s how to download the iOS 18 developer beta.)

Here’s what’s new in the latest version.

iPhone to Mac mirroring

iOS 18 beta 2 introduces one of the key new features of the OS: wireless screen mirroring to a Mac. You must have a Mac running macOS Sequoia beta 2 to use the feature.

With this new feature, you simply click on the iPhone Mirroring option in your Mac’s dock to trigger the feature. Then you can wirelessly mirror your iPhone’s display on your Mac, including its notifications. You can even use the apps installed on your phone. The feature requires your iPhone and Mac to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network and have Bluetooth enabled.

Alternative app stores come to iPad

With the second beta, Apple added support for app sideloading and third-party app stores to iPadOS 18 in the European Union, as required by the Digital Markets Act. These options are already available to iPhone users running iOS 17.4 in the EU after Apple announced the changes at the beginning of 2024. The European Union’s DMA forced Apple to open its platform to alternative app stores, though the process is not going smoothly.

SharePlay improvements

iOS 18 beta 2 improves SharePlay and allows one user to control the device of the person sharing their screen. It’s a boon to anyone doing remote tech support, and the feature also allows the user to doodle on the remote person’s screen to easily bring their attention to a particular on-screen item.

Rich Communication Services toggle for better messaging with Androids

Some iPhone users in the United States on AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon networks report seeing an RCS Messaging toggle in the updated Messages app. However, the feature is not live, as RCS messaging does not work even after enabling the toggle. This should not be a cause for concern, as RCS messaging will go live on the iPhone when iOS 18 drops later this year.

Easily add new passwords

A just-added + symbol in the bottom-left corner of Apple’s new Passwords app lets you save additional credentials to iCloud Keychain. On iOS 18 beta 1, this shortcut only appeared inside the “All” category.

Power button tweak in Control Center

In iOS 18’s Control Center, you must now long-press the virtual power button to bring up the power menu. Previously, a tap was enough for the button to work.

Dark mode App Store icon

The latest iOS 18 beta introduces a new dark mode icon for the App Store. The tint customization for app icons is also better in beta 2.

App Store has a new dark mode icon in iOS 18 beta 2.

Plus, color tinting in some icons seems to work and look better. They need to keep tweaking it until it’s not trash anymore. pic.twitter.com/XiBRvABGcN

— Adan (@durreadan01) June 24, 2024

Notice any other changes in iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 beta 3? Drop a comment and let us know!