Apple last releasediOS 18to the world on September 16 after months of genus Beta . It ’s one of the expectant iOS update in history , ushering in a new age ofApple Intelligence , more customization , RCS support , anew Photos app , and a lot more .
I did n’t use the iOS 18 betas , so the public release is the first time I ’ve test out all of the new features , minus Apple Intelligence ( it’scoming in iOS 18.1 next calendar month ) .
Though I ’m excited to finally have the next major Io update , I also ca n’t conceive how bad some of the features I ’ve been waiting months for in reality are . permit me explain .
Messy home screen customization
One of the things I get laid about Android software is that it is highly customizable , especially the home blind . you may place apps and doohickey anywhere you want without fuss .
After many years , Apple has finally added that kind of customization to the iOS menage screen . With iOS 18 , we can pose our app icons and gizmo anywhere on the home concealment power system , and we can even switch our Control Center layouts .
Except there ’s a problem : it ’s like iOS is fight me every individual time I endeavor to make a change . It find so very un - Apple - the likes of in term of how the whole experience has been the opposite word of seamless .
Since iOS 14 let us change our app icons without prisonbreak by using Shortcuts , I ’ve had the same home screen for the past few years . That ’s because I went through a mess of trouble with Shortcuts ’ tedious process to have a mostly undifferentiated look on my home screen . But I was eager to redo my entire habitation screen with iOS 18 and the raw Dark theme for the icons , and I found the process to be rather gawky , to say the least .
It feels so very un - Apple - like in terms of how the whole experience has been the opposite of seamless .
Even though Apple made it potential to place your apps and whatsis anywhere , even with spaces between them , it feels like an afterthought . When I drag on an app out from search or the App Library and endeavor to lay it in the midriff of an empty page , it will straight off go up to the top - get out corner like the old days . And since it ’s still grid - focused , you still have to adhere to that , so it ’s not like you’re able to just have an app or doohickey directly in the center of the family sieve . It ’s also inconceivable to have a 2 x 2 doojigger in the center , with one editorial of apps on the remaining or right . So it ’s not exactly “ anywhere ” you require .
The new Control Center isn’t what I hoped for
Similarly , though I like being able to tailor-make the Control Center layout , it ’s even worse . I had all the control I wanted , but whenever I resized one or moved a control , everything else seemed to move somewhere else . The controls did n’t shift by one space , but just went wherever they please — it did n’t make any sense .
This happened multiple multiplication , so whenever I tried to move something back to where I wanted it , everything else movedagain . It was a never - ending , passion - inducing fight with iOS to get my Control Center how I wanted it to be .
Another thing I detect is that if I have an app on the home screen for two Focus modes , it seems that iOS 18 does n’t like that either . I have 1Password on my main home screen and also on my Work Focus mode . However , each time the Focus is enable with my docket , 1Password is nowhere to be found on my Work home screen . This has to be some sort of bug , as I had no consequence with this before on iOS 17 .
So far, iOS 18 feels half-baked
I ’m a little shocked at how unfit the domicile screen and Control Center customization have been . Was n’t this in beta for a few months ? It just feel a routine , well , half - baked compared to what I ’ve strain so far with the final release . I ’m surprised that this effectuation of the rest home screen and Control Center made it out of beta because it stillfeelslike a genus Beta .
That ’s not to mention that Io 18 is still neglect a core part of the overall experience with Apple Intelligence . Apple Intelligence lineament will commence roll out in iOS 18.1 , which is presently in genus Beta and scheduled to arrive out sometime in October . But considering how this is a big part of Io 18 as a whole , myiPhone 15 Prowith iOS 18 right now feels uncomplete .
I really desire that Io 18.1 next month improve these things in increase to at long last hand us Apple Intelligence . Otherwise , I infer I ’ll desist from making any further change to my home screen and Control Center unless I find like discombobulate my iPhone out the window .
