iOS 18 is a huge update over the previous version. Apart from great additions like home screen customization, messaging via satellite, RCS support, Control Center overhaul, and more, it also has some hidden features. Here are some of my favorite features.
Hide distractions on websites in Safari
I spend a large part of the day on different websites. This also means that I spend a few minutes every day to turn off annoying cookie consent pop-ups, ads, and other distractions on those websites to focus better on the main content.
iOS 18’s Distraction Control feature saves me from this hassle, and is one of the reasons why I have started using Safari instead of Firefox to browse and read content online on my iPhone. With it, I can easily remove any distraction on a website. The best part is that whatever I hide stays hidden even when I leave that website and visit it again.
To hide an item, tap the page menu icon to the left of the address bar and select Hide distractions. Then, tap the item you want to hide and tap the Hide button that appears on it. Click Done to save.
Use T9 dialing to quickly find contacts
I use both iPhone and Android phones every day. And one of the Android features I’ve been missing on my iPhone for the longest time is T9 dialing. However, that changed with iOS 18, as Apple finally brought this feature to its native Phone app.
Thanks to T9 dialing, I can easily look up contacts by their name right from the keypad. I simply tap the numbers that correspond to the letters in the contact person’s name, and it gives me all the matching results. Not only is this approach more intuitive, but it also saves me the hassle of having to go to the Contacts tab to look up contacts.
Pause video recording
As much as I love my iPhone for its video quality, I hate it for the lack of an option to pause recording, as it meant I had to shoot clips separately and then edit and merge them later.
Thankfully, Apple realized how inconvenient this is and introduced the pause feature with iOS 18. Now, whenever I start a video recording, the Camera app shows the pause button on the screen. I can tap it to pause the ongoing recording. Then, tap it again to resume.
Swap lock screen controls
My other favorite Android feature that has finally come to iOS is the swappable lock screen controls. Although I find the flashlight control quite handy, the camera control always felt redundant since I can also access the Camera app by swiping left on the lock screen.
This way, I have replaced it with a shortcut I created to open the Leica LUX app on my iPhone as I often use it to capture portrait shots. This way, I can launch any app as needed.
To swap lock screen controls, unlock your iPhone, tap and hold on the lock screen and click Customize. Tap the minus (-) button at the top of the control you want to remove. Finally, tap the plus (+) button and select your preferred control on the following screen.
Lock and hide apps
I used to use the Shortcuts app to lock apps on my iPhone. However, it was erratic and felt slow. Thankfully, I no longer have to rely on it, as iOS 18 lets me lock apps on my iPhone natively. Compared to the Shortcuts method, it not only feels natural but also works more reliably.
Locking and hiding apps is easier in iOS 18. When you lock an app, it’s locked behind Face ID or Touch ID, which limits its access significantly. But if you want more privacy, you can also hide the app. This will hide it from everywhere except the Settings app, and you won’t get any notifications either.