Apple Releases Third iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 Public Betas

Apple today provided the third betas of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 to public beta testers, bringing the new software to the general public. The third public beta comes a week after Apple released the second public beta.

Generic iOS 18 Public Beta Feature Real Mock
Public beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program can download the ‌iOS 18‌ and ‌iPadOS 18‌ updates by opening up the Settings app, going to General, tapping into the Software Update section and selecting the ‌iOS 18‌ Public Beta option.

‌iOS 18‌ introduces Apple Intelligence, which are AI features deeply integrated into the operating system. Not all functionality is available at this time, but it brings Writing Tools for rewriting, polishing, proofreading, and summarizing text across apps, and you can generate custom images with Image Playground. There are custom emoji available through the Genmoji feature, and Siri is getting entirely overhauled. Note that ‌Apple Intelligence‌ isn't live in the public betas.

ipaos 18 image playground
Along with the AI features (which will be limited to the iPhone 15 Pro models and M-series iPads), ‌iOS 18‌ brings a redesigned Home Screen with the option to rearrange app icons and widgets with open spaces, plus there's a tint option and new darker colors for Dark Mode.

iOS 18 Home Screen Feature 1
Control Center has been revamped and you can pick and choose what you want to have front and center from the new Controls Gallery. There are multiple pages so you can group related controls, and you can customize sizes. As part of this update, the Flashlight and Camera icons on the Lock Screen can be swapped out, and you can also choose Control Center options for the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Action Button.

control center ios 18
The Messages app supports scheduling texts, you can use any emoji for the Tapback feature, and you can send messages via satellite. There are text effects you can use for any word, phrase, or emoji, plus formatting like bold and italic is an option. For texts with Android users, Apple now supports RCS, which basically means you won't run into issues with sending images and files, plus you can see typing indicators and read receipts and send texts over Wi-Fi.

iMessage Send Later iOS 18
Safari is able to summarize webpages and show you important info at a glance, the Photos app has been overhauled to focus more on surfacing your best photos. A dedicated Passwords app makes it easier to get to your saved passwords and logins, and you can now lock any app with Face ID or Touch ID.

ios 18 safari app
With today's beta specifically, Apple is adding support Distraction Control, a feature that is designed to let you hide distracting elements like popups on webpages.

There are a ton of new features in ‌iOS 18‌ and ‌iPadOS 18‌ that aren't mentioned here, so for a more in-depth look make sure to check out our iOS 18 roundup and our iPadOS 18 roundup.

Related Roundups: iOS 18, iPadOS 18
Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18

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Top Rated Comments

veeco3110 Avatar
12 months ago
My only issue so far with the PB is the battery draw on a iPhone 15 pro max
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
krspkbl Avatar
12 months ago

My only issue so far with the PB is the battery draw on a iPhone 15 pro max
Have you had a look to see if any apps are running in the background? When I moved to beta on my 15 Pro Max the Translate app was running in the background for hours even though I’ve never used it. My battery was draining quickly because of it.

I uninstalled it and reinstalled which seemed to return battery life back to normal.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jdawgnoonan Avatar
12 months ago
The public betas of 18 feel fully baked on my M4 iPad Pro.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bondr006 Avatar
12 months ago

How are people feeling about this recent developer/public beta? Is it still pretty buggy?
I personally have found the pb’s to be very stable. Only bug I found so far was in pb1. There was a glitch in my wallpaper settings. Other than that, and waiting for them to add the AI features, I am very happy with iPad OS 18.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pepsijunky Avatar
12 months ago
So far on public beta 2 my only issues were in Carplay, hopefully this will fix those problems!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Angerhome Avatar
12 months ago

Anyone noticing this?
My guess: Nobody cares.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)