Last night Apple released the first developer beta of iOS 18. They can be easily installed on any compatible iPhone, although it is not something that is recommended to be done on your personal mobile. As suggested I sell, but I don’t have one for me, I installed the latest version of iOS on my iPhone. And there is much to say.
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Apple and icon theming. what happened there
What Apple said yesterday about the design level goes beyond what can be seen as an aesthetic change: it’s a change in philosophy that I have mixed feelings about. Let’s be clear, when Apple starts running out of ideas, it has no choice but to resort to the old reliable: View on Android.
In the case of iOS 18, they may seem too difficult. One of the main new features of this version is that we can change the color of the icons. In this first beta, the results are disastrous. “But it’s a beta!” This is it. And themed icons (exactly the same function, but on Android), are also in beta
iOS 18 | Android 14. Same function, different implementation
The difference? Google’s approach has to do with creating a color palette that matches the wallpaper and theming the icons accordingly. iOS’s implementation is, without exception, the worst I’ve seen in years when it comes to theming (for now it matters). The idea is the same: we can automatically configure the icons background color, or even choose the color ourselves.
But the icons and widgets are colored in the wallpaper color without much meaning, it’s not a commendable adaptation of the icons. Be warned, the idea is not bad and Google is proof, so I’m sure the version will be much better than what we see. Despite this, I’m surprised Apple released anything in this stateEven being a first beta.
Also related to the icons, we have the option to be able to place them where we want. There are no blocks that force us to the top of the screen. We can resize the icons from the desktop itself. If we select the maximum size, the labels will be hidden. This is mainly because the large size does not fit these labels, not because of an exclusive function to hide them
Some apps change the color. Others do not. Others, such as the App Store, continue with the same design.
we have Dark theme for icons, a great idea, again, not entirely well executed. In this case I’m not so optimistic: it’s pretty obvious that colored icons have problems, but the dark mode implementation shows an icon-by-icon layout. If you had sent me a screenshot with these icons a few days ago, I would have jumped on fire guaranteeing that it was a free icon pack from the Play Store.
It’s not so much a matter of subjective taste but again, A request for consistency at the UI level. Dark theme icons follow a slightly different design language than those used in light mode.
For example, the Mail app has a blue background and a white icon When we put it in dark mode the icon doesn’t go from white to black, it turns blue (also, a blue with a color gradient). The reason? The camera app, however, has a black icon and a gray background. In dark mode, it has a gray icon and a black background. As it should be, following the pattern of reversing white to black in a dark way.
The same goes for phones and Safari. On the phone, the green background changes to the icon. In Safari, the icon stays as is and the background changes from white to black (as it technically should be). It might seem like a minor detail, but the fact that the icons change color without following a specific pattern, while the dark mode is supposed to convert white to black and respect everything else, really baffles me.
New control center
Flashlight is now able to concentrate the flash light.
Control Center has received a major facelift. In this case, I am satisfied with the results. There are important changes at the design stage: Some icon colors have been changed, animations are more careful than before (it’s too bad how Apple is taking care of it in iOS 18), and we have new options, for example with flashlight. Now we can not only control the intensity of the flash, we can more or less focus its direction. The last one.
It’s no longer just one page, we can slide down to access three others: Music (oriented towards AirPlay shipments), Home and Connections. We have the option to create a fully customized additional page, as well as the ability to completely resize the widgets
come Our best ever Control Center on iPhone, both in functionality and customization. A small detail to finish: now, when we enter the control center, we have the option to turn off the iPhone in the upper right.
Hidden apps with Face ID and more security
Another function present in this first beta of iOS 18 is related to Hidden apps and Face ID as an additional security measure. From now on, just long press on any app to lock with Face ID. This is already an identical option to some apps like WhatsApp, but integrated at the system level. This option is great for securing any application within seconds.
If we want to go further, we can hide the icon of any application and send it to a “hidden” section in the library. We can only access them through Face ID. In short, the Android 15 Secure Folder option.
Also, regarding system security, we have the new Password app. In the presentation I was quite shocked that they separated a basic function from an app’s settings: I understood everything after trying it.
It’s a faster and more accessible way to manage all of our passwords It is divided into six sections.
- all
- Authentication code
- Safety precautions
- Access key
- what is wifi
- eliminated
Additionally, we can generate shared passwords and access keys from here.
App changes and what Apple didn’t tell us
The main change in the app comes from Photos. It has been completely redesignedAlthough it lags behind options like Google Photos when ordering
When opening photos, we will have gallery above and new collection below Recent Days, People & Pets, Set Collections (we can make anything we want), Memories, Travels, Albums, Featured Photos…
As much as Apple wanted to group content, there is still a fairly long scroll. The preview of photos has changed aesthetically, now appearing as a slightly smaller square with rounded corners It looks great on an aesthetic level, but the images look small until we click on them
Yes, I quite liked on a visual level how the quest is resolved over the years and months, with memories highlighted as covers. Don’t expect options to delete photo items or AI search: Apple Intelligence is not yet active.
I was also quite surprised How well-resolved is the fitness app now?. Changed the step count UI, distinguishing both the steps themselves and the distance traveled. Furthermore, by combining new variables from the Health app “vital signs”, we will be able to determine the training load associated with these constants.
The Apple Watch, when we finish training, will ask us what our effort was after the session, and by combining the data from its sensors with our feedback and measurements from the Health app, it will give us information about the training load.
An important change has also arrived in the Settings app. They’re finally no longer an endless list, as the “Apps” settings are now grouped into a single category Important options like battery have also been moved to the top of the settings Among them, there is one important option that Apple did not include in its presentation: the percentage to which we can finally limit the charge of the iPhone. If we want to protect the battery, charging to 100% is not healthy. From the settings we can choose the value we want and the iPhone will only charge up to that point.
A great version with a lot of work ahead
iOS 18 This is going to be a before and after at Apple. Although there are serious inconsistencies at the UI level and many of the new features announced are not yet available, this system will lay the foundation for AI for Apple. As I review this beta, Siri is still as limited as ever. Next year, it will integrate with GPT-4o to perform queries where OpenAI can contribute more than Apple.
AI notification summaries, contextual analysis of phone screens, integration of generative models… The best thing about iOS 18 is not what it is now, but what it will be in a year. And I’m talking about 2025 because Apple Intelligence will start to be deployed in 2024, but the Spanish functions will have to wait a little longer.
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