20 Tips And Tricks For iOS 18 5

Quick Answer: To master iOS 18.5, focus on customizing your Control Center, tinting Home Screen icons, setting up Math Notes, and using the new dedicated Passwords app. In our tests in our testing lab, these features significantly improve speed, organization, and security on any compatible iPhone.

Apple's release of iOS 18.5 brings a wealth of refinements, customization options, and productivity updates. During our hands-on testing in our testing lab, we ran these features through our daily workflows to identify the absolute best productivity boosters. Whether you want to lock down your privacy or redesign your home screen, here are 20 essential tips and tricks to maximize your iOS 18.5 experience.

The Top 20 Tips & Tricks for iOS 18.5

Home Screen & Customization

  1. Tint Your App Icons: Long-press your Home Screen background, tap Edit, then Customize. Select Tinted to apply a cohesive color overlay to all app icons.
  2. Place Icons Anywhere: You can now position app icons anywhere on the grid, leaving open spaces to show off your wallpaper.
  3. Hide App Labels: In the Customize menu, choose Large icons to remove app names for an ultra-minimalist appearance.
  4. Swap Lock Screen Shortcuts: Replace the default Flashlight and Camera buttons with customized controls like Calculator or the Translate app.

Control Center & Navigation

  1. Resize Control Center Knobs: Open Control Center, long-press empty space to enter edit mode, and drag the corner of any icon to resize it.
  2. Create Multi-Page Control Panels: Swipe down and drag controls to the edge of the screen to automatically create new pages dedicated to connectivity, media, or smart home controls.
  3. Add Third-Party Widgets: Developers can now offer Control Center widgets; look for them in the controls gallery during customization.

Privacy & Security

  1. Lock Apps with Face ID: Long-press any app icon and select Require Face ID to protect sensitive information.
  2. Hide Apps Completely: Choose Require Face ID and Hide to move an app into a locked, hidden folder. If you ever need to find it again, check out our guide on /blogs/how-to/how-to-unhide-apps-on-iphone.
  3. Use the Dedicated Passwords App: Find all your saved credentials, Wi-Fi passwords, and passkeys in one unified utility.

Productivity & Communication

  1. Native Call Recording: During a call, tap the record button in the top-left corner. Read our walkthrough on /blogs/how-to/how-to-record-calls-on-iphone-guide to learn about automatic transcripts.
  2. Schedule Messages in iMessage: Tap the + icon next to the text field, select More, then Send Later to schedule texts.
  3. Format Notes with Collapsible Sections: Keep your notes organized by using markdown-style headers that toggle content visibility.
  4. Perform Calculations in Notes: Type any mathematical equation in a note, end it with an "=", and iOS will automatically calculate the answer.

System Settings & Accessibility

  1. Access Calculator History: Swipe right or tap the menu button in the Calculator app to view past equations.
  2. Voice Shortcuts for Siri: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Vocal Shortcuts to assign custom trigger phrases to specific actions.
  3. Eye Tracking Navigation: Navigate your iPhone using only your eyes. Set this up in Accessibility > Eye Tracking.
  4. Enable Game Mode: When you launch a game, iOS 18.5 automatically prioritizes processor performance and reduces audio latency for AirPods.
  5. Multilingual Keyboard Typing: Switch seamlessly between two languages without manually toggling keyboard layouts.
  6. Search Settings Easily: Use the revamped settings search bar to find deep menus instantly.

Feature Compatibility Matrix

Our bench tests showed varying performance across different iPhone generations. Below is a compatibility summary for the key iOS 18.5 updates.

Feature Minimum iPhone Requirement Performance Impact Recommended Setting
App Icon Tinting iPhone SE (2nd Gen) or later None User Preference
Native Call Recording iPhone 15 Pro or later Negligible Enabled (with consent)
Eye Tracking iPhone 12 or later Moderate Battery Draw Disabled unless needed
Apple Intelligence iPhone 15 Pro or later High RAM Usage Enabled

How to Customize Control Center in iOS 18.5

  1. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen to open Control Center.
  2. Long-press any empty space until the icons begin to jiggle.
  3. Tap Add a Control at the bottom of the screen to search the gallery.
  4. Drag controls to reposition them, or drag the bottom-right corner to resize.
  5. Tap anywhere on the screen to save your layout.

If your iPhone ever fails to update or gets stuck during installation, consult the troubleshooting steps on Apple Support or read about hardware repairs on iFixit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does iOS 18.5 slow down older iPhones?

In our tests in our testing lab, we did not observe any noticeable performance degradation on older devices like the iPhone 12, though battery life may slightly decrease during the indexation period immediately following the update.

Can I lock built-in Apple apps with Face ID?

Yes, most pre-installed Apple applications, including Mail, Photos, and Notes, can be locked using the Face ID context menu.

How do I revert to the classic app icon style?

Long-press your Home Screen, tap Edit > Customize, and select Light or Dark instead of Tinted.

Back to blog