60 Best iOS 18 Hidden Features: Time to Dig Deeper!

Boasting a ton of eye-catching features, iOS 18 has set the eyeballs rolling – leaving not just most iPhone loyalists charmed but also many Android fanboys in awe of customization. While the most talked about features have become the talk of the town, the slightly concealed ones haven’t received much spotlight. Whether you have missed out on the new add-ons that are a bit out of sight or have decided to dig into the software update to unravel the hidden gems, this extensive roundup of the best iOS 18 hidden features has got you fully covered!

Best Hidden iOS 18 Features You Must Know

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Without undermining the huge emphasis on Artificial Intelligence aka Apple Intelligence, it’s the Home Screen customization that has won more hearts. Be it locking your sensitive apps, tweaking the apps’ size, or putting your favorite controls at your fingertips, iOS 18 has ramped up the customization game like never before. While many may argue that Android has had most of these tricks for ages, it’s the level of precision, efficiency, and control that has put the latest iteration of iOS at the forefront.

1. Instantly Bring Up the Power-Off Slider

If you hate to press the side button or find it a bit inconvenient to hold down the side button especially when using a heavy-duty case, this nifty add-on is for you.

In iOS 18, you can trigger the power-off mode right from the Control Center. Simply, swipe down from the top-right to bring up the Control Control and hit the tiny power button at the upper-right to access the power-off slider.

2. Multiple Ways to Switch Between Control Center Pages

There are a couple of quick ways through which you can switch between Control Center pages on your iPhone.

When you are in the Control Center, just swipe up to switch between pages.
Alternatively, you can tap on the tiny icons like “Cellular”, “Heart”, and “Music” placed on the right to cycle through your iPhone Control Center pages.

Multiple Ways to Switch Between Control Center Pages

3. Perfectly Customize the Control Center

Probably the best part about the redesigned control center is that it’s fully customizable. Hence, you can design it to your liking so that your favorite controls are always at your fingertips.

Swipe down from the top-right to access the Control Center -> tap on the “+” button at the top left -> Now, you can drag and drop the preferred controls at the right spot.
To remove a particular control, hit the “-” minus button.
To add a control, tap on the “+” button at the bottom and select a particular control. You can also make the most of the search bar to quickly find a control that you wish to add to the Control Center.

4. Adjust the Size of a Specific Control in the Control Center

Notably, there is also a neat way to fine-tune the size of a specific control.

To do so, access the Control Center -> hit the “+” button at the top left to enter the editing mode.
Then, drag the handle of a specific Control Center icon to adjust its size.

5. Change the App Icons’ Size

One of my favorite iOS 18 Home Screen customization features is the ability to change the app icon sizes.

Long-press on the Home Screen to enter the jiggle mode -> tap on the Edit button at the top-left -> Customize.
Now, select the Small or Large app icon size option in the menu that pops up from the bottom of the screen.

6. Customize the Color of App Icons

If you have a liking for vibrant app icons, chances are you would love to change/customize the appearance of app icons’ color.

Long-press on the Home Screen -> Edit button at the top left -> Customize -> Tinted.
Now, use the color sliders to adjust the color of the app icons and Home Screen widgets.

7. Place App Icons Anywhere on the Screen

Times when you want to customize your iPhone Home Screen to your heart’s liking, the more freedom you have, the better it is. In the latest iteration of iOS, you can design your Home Screen by placing app icons anywhere on the screen. Yeah, you read that right! You are no longer forced to put apps in perfect alignment as there is no such conservative rule anymore.

8. Switch Between Dark, Light, Automatic, and Tinted Theme

Another pretty cool iPhone Home Screen customization feature that has graced iOS 18 is the option to switch between different themes such as Automatic, Dark, Light, and Tinted depending on your viewing preference.

Touch and hold the Home Screen to get into the editing mode -> Edit at the top left -> Customize.
Now, choose the desired theme in the menu at the bottom of the screen.

9. Lock Your Private Apps

No longer want anyone to bump into your private apps without your permission? No worries! You can now keep your apps locked with Face ID.

Long-press on the app that you would like to shield -> Require Face ID and confirm.

10. Hide Apps from Prying Eyes

Certain apps like dating and expense trackers deserve an extra layer of safeguard from unauthorized access. Thankfully, iOS 18 has offered a more effective way to hide apps on iPhone.

To conceal an app, long-press on the app icon -> Require Face ID -> Hide and Require Face ID.

11. Generate QR Codes for Saved Wi-Fi Passwords

The Apple Passwords app lets you generate QR codes for saved Wi-Fi passwords. As a result, you can share your passwords securely and more conveniently with others.

12. Quickly Access the Full List of Installed Apps

In iOS 18, Apple has added a dedicated section for “Apps” (Settings -> Apps at the bottom of the screen), thereby allowing you to search and manage apps with better control.

13. Show Forecasts for Separate Home and Work locations

The Weather app now displays forecasts for separate Home and Work locations. You can fine-tune the new Home and Work labels by going to the Settings app -> Apps -> Weather -> new “Locations” section. Notably, you can update your home and work locations by making changes to your Contacts card.

14. Schedule Your Messages

Apple Messages app has finally received a long-awaited feature that lets you schedule messages.

To schedule a message, go to the Messages app -> conversation thread -> type in the message -> hit the “+” button -> More -> Send later.
Then, fine-tune the date and time and hit the upward arrow aka the send button.

15. Control Your iPhone Using Just Your Eyes

Though the “Eye Tracking” feature is primed for differently-abled people, anyone can get the most out of this new Accessibility feature to control their device with their eyes.

To get going, navigate to the Settings app on your iPhone -> Accessibility -> Eye Tracking and customize the setting to your liking.

16. Use Eye Tracking With Dwell Control

With “Dwell Control” enabled, maintaining your gaze still for a specified duration will enable you to perform the preferred dwell action.

On your iPhone, go to the Settings app -> Accessibility -> Eye-Tracking -> Turn on the switch for “Dwell Control”.
To ensure Dwell Control perfectly works in line with your needs, fire up the Settings app -> Accessibility -> Touch -> AssistiveTouch -> Dwell Control and fine-tune it in keeping with your needs.

17. Vehicle Motion Cues

“Vehicle Motion Cues” can play an effective role in helping you fight motion sickness. When you turn it on, your iPhone shows dots near the edges of the screen – in accordance with the vehicle’s motion. Follow this detailed guide to set up and use Vehicle Motion Cues in iOS 18.

18. Always Keep Vehicle Motion Cues Enabled on Your iPhone

If “Motion Sickness” has been an issue with you, iOS 18 also offers you the flexibility to keep this Accessibility feature always enabled.

Dive into the Control Center -> hit the Vehicle Motion Cues icon and choose On in the menu.

19. Record & Transcribe Phone Calls

iOS 18 comes with a built-in call recorder to let you automatically record and transcribe phone calls via the stock “Phone” app. You can activate the call recording after placing or answering a phone call. When you start recording a call, all participants are alerted that the call is being recorded so that everyone is fully aware of the recording – right from the word go.

20. Apple Intelligence Can Generate a Summary of Important Points Included in the Phone Call

Apple Intelligence can let you generate a quick summary of all the key points that were included in the phone call. Therefore, you can go back and check the important points at your own convenience.

Bear in mind that the phone call transcription feature will be initially available in –

English (U.S., UK, Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore)
Spanish (U.S., Mexico, Spain)
French (France)
German (Germany)
Japanese (Japan)
Mandarin Chinese (China mainland, Taiwan)
Cantonese (China mainland, Hong Kong)
Portuguese (Brazil)

21. A Search Interface for Call

The Phone app in iOS 18 features a “Search interface” for call history to let you quickly find specific calls without breaking any sweat.

22. AutoFill in Phone App

The Phone app also features the “AutoFill” functionality to let you instantly autofill a number when you start typing in digits.

23. Seamlessly Switch SIM Cards

The other useful feature that has graced the Phone app is the ability to let users switch SIM cards.

24. Audio and Transcription Feature in the Notes App

Apple Notes app is also going to get the audio and transcription feature. Sadly, you will be able to record audio and have the live transcription only on the iPhone 12 and later models.

25. Maths Notes in Apple Notes App

“Maths Notes” is the most notable addition to the Apple Notes app. Leveraging the power of artificial intelligence, it lets you solve maths right into your notes in a jiffy. Hence, you don’t have to quit your notes in order to find the right answer to a riddle – anymore.

26. Reader Mode in the Magnifier App

The Apple Magnifier app has received a super handy “Read mode” that is designed to convert images in order to uniform lines of text. Based on your preference, you can tweak the font and even have the text read aloud.

27. View and Interact With Your iPhone – Right from Your Mac

Due largely to a new Continuity feature, you can view and control your iPhone right from your Mac. With the “iPhone Mirroring” in action, you will be able to swipe between pages on the Home Screen and launch apps at your own pace.

28. Enable Sound Actions to Perform Multiple Actions by Making Sounds

Slightly buried in the Accessibility setting exists “Sound Actions” which lets you perform multiple actions by making sounds on your iPhone.

To bring this Accessibility feature into action, go to the Settings app -> Accessibility -> Touch -> Sound Actions -> Now, select the preferred sound, and then choose the action that you want to trigger. From a ton of System features to Accessibility to Siri Shortcuts, you get a variety of actions to choose from.
If you are not sure how a particular sound works and wish to have some practice, tap on the “Practise” option and then follow the instructions to master it.

29. Change Siri’s Name

Whether you hate to trigger Apple’s built-in virtual assistant” using the old Siri name or wish to give it a sweet name for a more personalized experience, there is finally a way to rename Siri on iPhone and iPad. Thanks to Vocal Shortcuts, you can invoke Siri with a custom phrase (i.e. “Joy” or “July”) on your device.

To rename Siri, head into the Settings app -> Accessibility -> Vocal Shortcuts -> Set Up Vocal Shortcuts/Add Action -> Siri -> and enter the custom phrase and verify it.

30. Capture Screenshots on Your iPhone Using a Vocal Shortcut

With a custom vocal shortcut, you can take screenshots on your iPhone in the blink of an eye. If you need a more convenient and faster way to snap screenshots on iOS, this hidden feature should please you. To get going, I would suggest you check the detailed guide to create a vocal shortcut for taking screenshots or watch this hands-on video for better understanding.

31. Lock Your iPhone/iPad Using Your Voice

There are multiple ways to lock an iPhone but having a readymade Lock Screen voice shortcut at your disposal is an altogether different proposition. Instead of pressing the power button or getting into the AssistiveTouch menu, wouldn’t it be better if you could lock your iPhone by just saying “Lock”?

Settings app -> Accessibility -> Vocal Shortcuts -> Set Up Vocal Shortcuts/Add Action -> Lock Screen and set it up.

32. Remove Flashlight from Your iPhone Lock Screen

If the presence of a flashlight keeps vexing you or for that matter, you don’t find it useful enough for your needs, you can choose to get rid of it – for good. Yeah, you no longer need to bear with the unwanted flashlight right on the Lock Screen even if it doesn’t make the cut for you.

Bring up the Lock Screen (by pressing the power button) -> Long-press -> Customize -> Lock Screen.
Hit the minus button at the top of the flashlight to remove it -> tap on the “+” button to add a different action and then hit the Done button at the top right to confirm.

33. Remove the Camera from Your iPhone Lock Screen

Do you often get annoyed when anyone gets into your iPhone camera and starts snapping photos or recording clips without your nod? If the answer is yes, you would be glad to know that Apple has given the freedom to remove the camera from the Lock Screen in iOS 18.

Access the Lock Screen on your iPhone (by pressing the power button) -> Long-press -> Customize -> Lock Screen.
Tap the minus button at the top of the camera button to remove it -> tap on the “+” button to add a different action in place of the camera and then hit the Done button at the upper right to confirm.

34. Ping Your Apple Watch right from Your iPhone Lock Screen

If you often misplace your Apple Watch, chances are you would like to add the “Ping My Watch” action button to your iPhone Lock Screen. This way you will be able to play a loud sound on your Apple Watch right from the Lock Screen on your iPhone.

Press the power button to bring up the Lock Screen on your iPhone -> Long-press -> Customize -> Lock Screen -> tap the minus button at the top of the action button you want to get rid of.
Tap on the “+” button -> Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and choose Ping My Watch -> tap on Done at the top to confirm.

35. Us Music Haptics to Liven Up Your Music Time

For folks who are deaf or hard of hearing, “Music Haptics” is a noteworthy feature. With the Music Haptics in action, iPhone plays a variety of rhythmic haptics such as “Taps, Textures, and Refined Vibrations” in correspondence with the music you are listening to in order to enhance the music listening experience.

Driven by the iPhone’s Taptic Engine, Music Haptics already boasts the support for millions of Apple Music songs.
Additionally, Apple has also released a dedicated Music Haptics API for developers to allow third-party apps to get the most out of this Accessibility feature as well.

36. Check Whether or Not the Game Mode is Active

When you take on a power-packed game on your iPhone, “Game Mode” becomes active on its own from behind the scenes in order to pause the background activity and optimize the performance of the game. This smart play ensures a smooth-sailing gameplay.

To figure out whether or not this mode is on, just swipe down from the top right corner of the screen to reveal the Control Center.
At the top of the CC, you should see the Game Mode label right next to the title you are currently playing.

37. Enable/Disable Game Mode

Though iOS 18 doesn’t offer a dedicated setting for the Game Mode, you can actually turn on/off this mode when playing a game.

To do so, just swipe down from the upper-right corner of the screen -> tap on the Game Mode label at the top -> Hit the Game Mode icon to turn it off/on.

38. Add the Text Effects to Your Messages

The all-new iMessage text effects can bring plenty of fun to your messaging.

To send an iMessage with a text effect, launch the Messages app -> open a chat thread -> type in the message -> double-tap on the text -> hit the forward arrow in the popup window, and tap the Text Effects
Then, choose the desired text effect like explode, shake, jitter, and send it.

39. Create Custom Genmojis Aka Emojis

While there is no dearth of emojis on iOS, nothing can beat the joy of having more personalized custom emojis. You guessed it! This is where Genmojis comes into play. Leveraging Apple Intelligence to the best effect, iOS 18 lets you craft custom emojis.

Go to the Apple Messages app -> open a chat -> input the prompt about the type of emoji you would like to create in the text field and the Messages app will get the job done for you.

40. Remove Unwanted Objects from Photos

Let’s face it! It’s really tough to avoid photo bombers especially when snapping photos at public places. However, with the Apple Intelligence-driven Object Remover at your beck and call, you can instantly get rid of the unwanted object from an image. Named “Clean Up”, iOS 18 built-in object remover works like a charm without destroying the quality of your photos.

41. Sort and Filter Your Photos

Apple Photos app has received more effective sorting and filtering capabilities. In the latest iteration of iOS, you can sort your photos by recently added or date captured. As for filtering, you can filter your shots by “Favorites, Edited, Photos, Videos, and Screenshots.

Photos app -> Swipe up to reveal the toolbar at the bottom -> Upward/Downward arrow -> Then, you can sort your photos or filter them to your liking.

42. Instantly Hide All Screenshots

If you need to capture a ton of screenshots regularly, you would agree to the fact that they tend to make the entire photo library look cluttered. Thankfully, there is now a quick way to hide all screenshots and view the photo library without any distractions.

Photos app -> Slightly swipe up to reveal the toolbar at the bottom -> Upward/Downward arrow -> View Options -> Deselect “Show Screenshots”.

43. Switch Between Dark and Light Theme When Editing a Photo

When editing an image, the more clarity you have over tools, the better it is. With iOS 18, you can switch between dark and light themes while editing an image.

Simply, open an image in the Photos app -> tap on the Edit button at the bottom -> tap on the triple-dot icon at the top -> Appearance -> Dark/Light.

44. Manage the Search Feature With Better Control

iOS 18 has separated “Search” from Siri. Hence, the Settings app has a separate section for both Siri and Search to ensure you can control them with more precision.

45. Pin Your Maths Notes

Pinning ensures you have painless access to the items that you frequently need.

Find the Maths note you want to pin and long-press on it and choose Pin Note in the menu.

46. Lock Your Maths

Sadly, Face ID neither lets you lock the Apple Calculator app nor allows you to hide it. But bother not, you can lock your sensitive notes to prevent unauthorized access.

Navigate to the note you want to lock and open it -> hit the triple-dot menu at the top -> Lock icon and confirm.

47. Hide Distracting Items in Safari

To let you ward off the annoying popups, auto-playing videos, and sign-up banners, Safari has introduced a feature called “Distraction Control”. Leveraging the power of this handy feature, you can take control of all the static content for a distraction-free browsing experience. Though you can use it to hide ads as well, they will pop back on when the webpage is refreshed.

48. Unlock Apple Intelligence Outside the US

For folks were disappointed by the fact that Apple Intelligence supports only US English, there is a hidden way to enable Apple Intelligence on iPhone, iPad, and Mac outside the US. By changing the region to the United States, you can make Apple Intelligence work on your iDevice. Having made the most of this neat hack, I must say that it works like a charm.

49. Add Apps to Your iPhone Lock Screen

Adding your favorite apps to the Lock Screen has become possible, thanks to the liberty to eliminate the useless buttons and add the useful ones. For instance, you can remove the flashlight icon and add an essential app like ChatGPT or Fitness. Once you have added an app to the Lock Screen, you can launch it by simply long-pressing its icon.

50. Add a Separate Bluetooth Icon to the Control Center

If you find it a bit inconvenient to control Bluetooth from the Control Center, why not add a separate Bluetooth toggle that can let you enable/disable Bluetooth more conveniently? As the revamped Control Center also offers a way to tweak the icon size, you can make the Bluetooth icon bigger for a hassle-free access and use experience.

51. Add Apple Watch Mirroring to AssistiveTouch

For friends who have a penchant for the Apple Watch Mirroring feature, iOS 18 allows adding it to the AssistiveTouch menu. Thus, you can make the most of this functionality to instantly trigger the Apple Watch Mirroring by customizing the AssistiveTouch menu or even tapping its icon.

52. Add “Tap to Siri” to AssistiveTouch

“Type to Siri” has long been a useful feature. Sadly, you couldn’t add it to the AssistiveTouch menu in the previous versions of iOS. But that has changed for the better as you can now not only add the “Type to Siri” to AssistiveTouch but also trigger it with a quick tap.

53. Activate Music Haptics By Triple-Clicking the Side Button of Your iPhone

“Music Haptics” is a well-thought-out and neatly implemented Accessibility feature. If it has managed to strike a strong chord with you, make sure to add it to the power button. This way you will be able to trigger Music Haptics by triple-clicking the side button or the power button of your device.

54. Activate Music Haptics with a Vocal Shortcut

Should you wish to take your penchant for Music Haptics to another level, I would recommend you create a vocal shortcut for the Music Haptics. With a custom phrase readily available, you can trigger Music Haptics using the vocal shortcut in a more convenient way.

55. Activate Vehicle Motion Cues with a Vocal Shortcut

A useful feature like the “Vehicle Motion Cues” deserves to be paired with a vocal shortcut. Thus, whenever you want to bring it into effect in order to fight out motion sickness, you can use a quick phrase to trigger it.

56. Quickly Access Accessibility Shortcut with a Vocal Shortcut

If you use a variety of Accessibility features like me, be sure to create a vocal shortcut that can let you instantly access the Accessibility Shortcut menu with all of your favorite features. Yeah, why bother about digging into the Accessibility setting if you can access a bunch of features using a custom phrase?

57. Mirror iPhone Live Activities on Apple Watch

With watchOS 11, Live Activities has gone live on the Apple Watch. But what has added cherry to the top is the ability to mirror live activities from your iPhone to your Apple Watch. So, the next time you want to keep a close eye on a live activity, make sure to beam it on your paired Apple Watch as well.

58. Get the Most Out of Apple Maps New “Search Here” Button

Apple has stolen the “Search Here” button from Google Maps and added it to its Maps app. Using this neat button, you can more conveniently search for things that matter to you.

59. Record Phone Calls

Gone were the times when you had to rely on third-party call recorders to record calls on your iPhone. In iOS 18, Apple has integrated an exceptionally useful call recorder to let you not only record phone calls but also transcribe the call recording in real time.

60. Add Magnifier to the iPhone Lock Screen

Do you often have to use the magnifier on your iPhone? If you are nodding in yes, it would be better to add the magnifier to the iPhone Lock Screen for instant access and launching experience.

Stay Tuned In to Discover More Hidden iOS 18 Gems..!

There you have it! That wraps up this massive lineup of iOS 18 features. I hope you have enjoyed digging into the latest iteration of iOS. Now that you know where the gems are hidden, take them for a long spin and make sure to share your invaluable feedback about ’em all.