Apple has released iOS 18 Beta 5 for developers, bringing some important and useful changes. There are new features for Safari, Photos, and more, which you can read about below.
The latest beta update will give you access to iOS 18 features before the public rollout begins. You can install it on your iPhone if you’re signed up for Apple’s developer beta program.
With the iOS 18 beta 5, Apple is tweaking the Home Screen, Lock Screen, and Control Center. Apps like Photos and Safari are getting significant changes, while other elements receive several smaller updates.
Photos app changes
The Photos app redesign didn’t go over well with users at first when Apple announced it. But the company listened to the feedback and made some changes. It got rid of the carousel feature that lets you swipe through different Collections from the main Photos view.
The All Photos section now shows more of the grid, and photo albums are easier to find if you have a lot of them. The app still has a unified one-screen design, so it opens right up to the photo grid where you can see all your photos.
Safari Distraction Control feature
Apple is introducing Distraction Control in Safari. It’s not an ad blocker but a tool that blocks static elements on a webpage, like pop-ups asking for emails, notification permissions, and more.
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Apple’s new “Distraction Control” feature in iOS 18 is insane 🔥 pic.twitter.com/bo0axEnsAe
— Apple Hub (@theapplehub) August 5, 2024
You can use Distraction Control to temporarily hide ads, but they will show back up when they refresh. To access this feature from Safari webpage settings, follow these steps:
- Download and install the fifth developer beta version of the OS on your device
- Go to Page Menu in Safari.
- Select Hide Distracting Items.
- You can then choose specific areas on the page to hide.
- To see hidden elements, use the Show Hidden Items option in the Safari search field.
Home screen and UI changes
The iOS 18 beta 5 update brings some notable changes to the home screen and UI. When you long-press on the Home Screen and select Edit, there’s a new Edit Pages option. You can use it to delete entire Home Screen pages or hide them from view.
Apple also tweaked Dark Mode settings and redesigned the Maps and Find My icons. The Maps icon is now black, white, gray, and blue, ditching the other colors. The Find My icon now has more noticeable rings in different shades of green.
Plus, when you search for an app using the search interface, the app icon will now show up correctly in Dark Mode when it’s turned on. Before, the search results always showed Light Mode icons.