by Juli Clover
With the third betas of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 that Apple released today, there are additional tweaks to a number of features like Dark Mode icons, the Photos app, emoji in Messages, and more, with Apple appearing to be preparing for the launch of Apple Intelligence.
Apple will continue updating iOS 18 over the course of the next couple of months, refining the beta prior to its launch. We've highlighted everything new in the third iOS 18 beta.
Dark Mode Icons
There are now Dark Mode icons for many third-party apps like Facebook, Etsy, Telegram, Signal, Slack, Notion, YouTube, and more. Apple appears to be adding the Dark Mode icons automatically to apps that have icons with a handful colors.
With some icons, the secondary color becomes the main color, while the background color is turned to black, and in others, a white icon background transitions to black.
Apps with complicated icon designs in many colors do not change to a Dark Mode color at this time, but Apple does tint them to be darker. When iOS 18 launches, app developers will be able to provide their own dark-tinted icons to be used in lieu of Apple's defaults.
Photos App
Apple added a Select button for choosing multiple images to the main Photos interface, so there is no longer a need to swipe down to get to the Select button.
With this change, the Search button is now just a magnifying glass, but it is highlighted blue to make it stand out more.
Emoji
In Messages, emoji, Memoji, and stickers have all been combined into one interface, which can be navigated using the tiny icons at the bottom of the display. There are icons you can tap into to get to stickers or Memoji, and you can scroll through your Memoji to more quickly find specific characters and poses.
You can create both stickers and Memoji from this interface, and you can use stickers right in your messages like you can use emoji. This works with non-moving stickers only, and those with animation from Live Photos will display in the larger attachment sticker size. The smaller stickers used as emoji are, however, hard to see.
Emoji are displayed larger than before, so you see more detail but fewer characters before having to scroll, and there are more emoji and stickers displayed at once in the Recent section.
Apple likely made these changes to prepare for the debut of Apple Intelligence, Genmoji, and Image Playground.
Wallpaper
There is a dynamic version of the iOS 18 wallpaper that transitions through different colors based on the time of day.
Flashlight Interface
When you activate the Flashlight, or tap on the controls from the Dynamic Island, there is a larger and more intuitive interface for changing the brightness and the spread of the LED Flash used for the Flashlight feature.
Maps
Apple has once again tweaked the colors of the Maps icon when Dark Mode is activated.
RCS in Messages
The interface for RCS in the Messages section of the Settings app has changed. Rather than just showing up as an on/off toggle, it is now a tap-in menu that provides some additional context. Apple explains that sending and receiving messages with RCS uses wireless data, and cellular network identifiers may be shared with carriers and their partners.
Some iPhone users in Canada and other countries are also now seeing the RCS toggle, though it is unclear if RCS is working outside of the United States.
Apple Intelligence
There are some mentions of Apple Intelligence features in the code, further hinting at the upcoming addition of AI to the iOS 18 beta. Code references Genmoji, Image Playground, Writing Tools, Image Wand, and more.
More New Changes
Know of a new feature in iOS 18 beta 3 that we left out? Let us know in the comments below.
Related Roundups: iOS 18, iPadOS 18
Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18
[ 97 comments ]
Popular Stories
10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17
Monday July 8, 2024 5:00 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models concurrently, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
Read Full Article • 159 comments
iPhone 17 'Slim': Everything We Know So Far
Friday July 5, 2024 5:13 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
In 2025, Apple is expected to discontinue the iPhone "Plus" device in its iPhone 17 lineup to make way for an iPhone "Slim" – although it may not actually be called this when it debuts in the fall of next year. Even though the iPhone 16 series launch is still over two months away, when you consider that we learned about larger displays on the iPhone 16 Pro models way back in May 2023, rumors...
Read Full Article • 192 comments
Everything New in iOS 18 Beta 3
Monday July 8, 2024 12:54 pm PDT by Juli Clover
With the third betas of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 that Apple released today, there are additional tweaks to a number of features like Dark Mode icons, the Photos app, emoji in Messages, and more, with Apple appearing to be preparing for the launch of Apple Intelligence. Apple will continue updating iOS 18 over the course of the next couple of months, refining the beta prior to its launch....
Read Full Article • 97 comments
Report: Apple Watch Series 10 to Offer Larger Screens and Faster Chip, but New Health Features in Trouble
Sunday July 7, 2024 8:31 am PDT by Hartley Charlton
The Apple Watch Series 10 will feature a larger display and a new chip, but new health monitoring features for the device are now in question, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that the design of the Apple Watch Series 10 is "unlikely to look much different" to its predecessor, but it will be thinner. Meanwhile, the Apple Watch...
Read Full Article • 105 comments
Apple Leak Confirms Four iPhone 16 Models With Same A18 Chip
Tuesday July 2, 2024 9:48 am PDT by Juli Clover
Code discovered in Apple's backend by Nicolás Alvarez and shared with MacRumors confirms Apple's plans to release four iPhone 16 models this year, and it indicates that the devices will all have the same A-series chip. There are mentions of new model numbers that are not associated with existing iPhones, and that have the numbering scheme Apple uses for its flagship devices. The code...
Read Full Article • 145 comments
Best Buy Takes Up to $500 Off M3 MacBook Pro in New Sale
Sunday July 7, 2024 10:40 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Best Buy this weekend is offering a big selection of discounts on Apple's late 2023 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, with up to $500 off select models. These deals are available to all shoppers and do not require a My Best Buy Plus or Total membership. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps...
Read Full Article • 38 comments
Top Rated Comments
ppdix
2 days ago at 01:32 pm
I am a photographer and use the Photos app constantly.
It's really confusing now. I really don't like it. The summary feature only works on albums and the summarized photos are square, which crop the image too much. There should be a square/normal toggle.
Also, when you click on a photo to view it and, if the photo is vertical, there is a rounded corner and the photo doesn't reach the edge of the display, making it smaller than necessary. If the photo is horizontal, the rounded corners are not there and the image reaches the edge of the display.
What are the designers doing?
Slightly disappointed to say the least...
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Unggoy Murderer
2 days ago at 01:14 pm
In the Photos app, you’re no longer forced to full-screen when zooming on a photo, you can zoom in just a little again. This was a HUGE peeve in b1 and b2, really glad they reversed it. ?
Also, just spotted the emoji keyboard has changed, the keys are much larger.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx
2 days ago at 02:36 pm
I am a photographer and use the Photos app constantly.
It's really confusing now. I really don't like it. The summary feature only works on albums and the summarized photos are square, which crop the image too much. There should be a square/normal toggle.
Also, when you click on a photo to view it and, if the photo is vertical, there is a rounded corner and the photo doesn't reach the edge of the display, making it smaller than necessary. If the photo is horizontal, the rounded corners are not there and the image reaches the edge of the display.
What are the designers doing?
Slightly disappointed to say the least...
I have to agree. The Photos app changes are the biggest example of "change for the sake of change" I've ever seen. None of the changes make it easier to use. It's just different, for no real good reason, and requires a lot more swiping around whereas before you had the convenient "tabs" on the bottom.
Right now I'd be ecstatic if Apple abandoned the changes to the Photos app and just kept it the same as iOS 17. There was literally no reason to make these changes.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RigSatMe
2 days ago at 12:58 pm
Finally dark icons - Awesome!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos
2 days ago at 02:07 pm
Thought I’d like the dark mode icons but to my own surprise I don’t. Makes it harder for me to find my apps. I am a person of habits I guess.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KoolAid-Drink
2 days ago at 01:22 pm
The blue search button in Photos is giving me Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger vibes. :)
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments