Everything new in iOS 18.1 Beta 2 and iOS 18 Beta 6

Apple is testing the iOS 18 beta and the first iOS 18 update simultaneously, and today we received the second beta of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1, as well as the sixth beta of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia 15.

Many of the changes in iOS 18.1 are aimed at bringing the .1 betas in line with the regular betas, which recently received updates to Photos and Safari, while the iOS 18 updates are aimed at finalizing features and getting them ready for launch.

Photos Redesign (iOS 18.1)

The redesigned Photos app in iOS 18 wasn’t well-liked by some users, so Apple simplified it before launch. The all-in-one design remains the same, but Apple removed the carousel to make the app less confusing and repetitive. Apple introduced these design changes in the standard iOS 18 update last week and has now rolled them into iOS 18.1.

With previous versions of iOS 18, you could swipe left and right to access different collections, but now, collections are only accessible by swiping down from the main Library view. Collections include your personalized albums and content that was previously in the For You section, like featured images, videos, favorites, memories, and more.

The Photo Library now displays more images at once in the Photos grid, and Apple has moved albums higher by default to make it easier for users to access them. Recently saved content has been integrated into the Last Days section, making it easier to find, too.

Distraction Control in Safari (iOS 18.1)

Distraction Control is a new option in Safari that lets you hide distracting elements from web pages and articles. You can use this feature to get rid of login windows, cookie preferences pop-ups, newsletter signup videos, GDPR banners, and auto-play videos, among others.

You can’t use Distraction Control to hide ads. Apple has made it clear that Distraction Control is not an ad removal tool, and while you can temporarily hide an ad, it reappears as soon as the ad or webpage refreshes. Distraction Control is designed to static content, not dynamic content, so anything that updates cannot be hidden.

You can access Distraction Control by opening Safari, selecting Page Settings, and tapping Hide Distractors. From there, you can tap an element on the page that you want to hide. If you don’t see the Hide Distractors option, tap the three dots in Settings, then choose Edit, and you’ll be able to add it to your quick access options.

What you’ve hidden will remain blocked from view as long as it’s not dynamic content, but you can restore a default web page by going to the same options and tapping Show Hidden Items.

Note that if you hide a cookie banner or GDPR pop-up, it is the same as closing the banner without submitting your website preferences. Distraction control settings are built into the device and do not sync across devices, so you will need to configure them on each of your devices.

Distraction control was added to ‌iOS 18‌ and ‌iPadOS 18‌ last week, and now the feature is also in the .1 betas.

Photo Apps Collection (iOS 18 Beta 6)

Apple has further tweaked the ‌Photos‌ app in iOS 18 beta 6, introducing a new look for the album collection. Each album has a separate card, with a main thumbnail on the left. Previous versions had the album name on the left and a collection of smaller thumbnails.

Control Center (all beta versions)

In Control Center, there is a new button to turn Bluetooth on and off. It is separate from the general communication controls which are all grouped together and can be added to any page in Control Center.

You can also add the Bluetooth button to the Lock screen instead of the camera or flashlight or assign it to the action button on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.

Changes have been made to how Control Center icons are organized in the Gallery. A “Capture” section, for example, offers Camera, Scan QR Code, and Magnifier options, and Silent Mode has been added under Sounds.

Dark Mode Notification Icons (All Betas)

When dark mode icons are enabled, notifications you receive from apps with a dark mode icon will correctly display with that icon instead of the light mode icon.

Note that in iOS 18.1 beta 2, both ‌Dark Mode‌ and ‌Dark Mode‌ icons must be enabled for notifications to have the darker icon. In ‌iOS 18‌ beta 6, Dark Mode icons will display with the darker icons enabled. ‌Dark Mode‌ is not required.

Splash Screens (all betas)

As Apple prepares for the launch of iOS 18, new splash screens are coming to Photos, Translate, Podcasts, Home, Apple TV, Calculator, and Notes. The addition of splash screens suggests that we’re nearing the end of the changes planned for the base version of iOS 18, which will be installed on iPhone 16 models.

Apple Smart Location (iOS 18.1)

Apple Intelligence includes new English localizations in the second 18.1 beta. Options include Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, India, and Singapore, which are in addition to the previous localization options in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia.

No support for languages ​​other than English has been added at this time, and Apple says support for other languages ​​will come later this year and in 2025.

Apple Intelligence in EU (iOS 18.1)

Several people in the European Union were able to enable and use Apple Intelligence by setting their region to the United States and their language to US English.

Icon Tints (All Beta)

The tints you apply to your icons to match wallpapers are now tied to that wallpaper rather than the system. When you change your wallpaper, your icons will also change if you’ve customized them to be tinted to a wallpaper color.

Apple Music (all betas)

The Browse tab in Apple Music is now the “New” tab.

Lock Screen (iOS 18.1)

There is no longer an option to access Spotlight search by swiping down from the Lock screen in iOS 18.1 beta 2, but this may be a bug.

Mail – Upgrade Warning

Apple says developers who have ‌iOS 18‌ beta 5 and are planning to upgrade to the iOS 18.1 beta may see all of their mail redownloaded.

More features

Do you know of any items we missed? Let us know in the comments below.