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Everything New in iOS 18 Beta 2

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Apple today released the second betas of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 to developers, and the software adds support for new features that Apple is working on, plus it tweaks some of the interface changes that have been made in the updates.

iOS-18-on-iPhone-Feature.jpg

Apple will refine iOS 18 over the course of the next few months, with multiple changes and refinements expected from now until September. We've highlighted everything new in the second iOS 18 beta.

iPhone Mirroring

When paired with a Mac running macOS Sequoia beta 2, iOS 18 beta 2 supports the Mac-based iPhone Mirroring feature. With iPhone Mirroring, you can control your iPhone using your Mac.

macos-sequoia-iphone-mirroring.jpg

iPhone Mirroring can be enabled by clicking on the new iPhone Mirroring icon on a Mac and following the instructions. It lets you open and use apps, manage notifications, and more, all while your iPhone is locked.

RCS Toggle

iOS 18 beta 2 adds a toggle for the new RCS messaging protocol that will replace SMS and MMS, but RCS is not yet functional. Right now, the RCS toggle only shows up for U.S. iPhone users who have a carrier that supports RCS, which includes T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T.

ios-18-beta-2-rcs-toggle.jpg

RCS will improve text messaging conversations with Android users, allowing for higher-quality images and videos, read receipts, typing indicators, Tapback support, and more.

Home Screen

The App Store icon on the Home Screen now has a dark mode, which changes the background color of the app. There's also a wallpaper tinting toggle that can be used in automatic mode, something that wasn't an option before. The toggle makes the wallpaper you've chosen darker.

app-store-dark-mode-icon.jpg

For some icons, the second beta improves the contrast of the tint feature by adding more dark areas.

Note that tinting and icon color changes seem to be quite buggy in beta 2, and sometimes tints won't deactivate until the iPhone is restarted.

Widgets

There's a new Connected Card Wallet widget app, but it does not appear to be functional as of yet. Connected Cards integrate with the Wallet app to display total card balance and transaction history. In the United States, this feature only works with Discover at the current time.

ios-18-wallet-app-connected-cards.jpg

Passwords App

There's a "+" button in the main view of the Passwords app when you open it, so you can add a new item without having to tap the "All" icon.

ios-18-passwords-app.jpg

Control Center

The power button in the Control Center has a more pronounced haptic feel when pressing it, and it only triggers with a press rather than just a tap. The change will prevent the power button from accidentally being activated when using Control Center.

EU App Ecosystem Changes

In the European Union, the iPadOS 18 beta adds support for alternative app marketplaces and downloading apps from websites. These are the same changes that Apple made to the iPhone in iOS 17.4, with the updates now extended to the iPad as required by the European Commission.

App-Store-vs-EU-Feature-2.jpg

More New Changes

Know of a new feature in beta 2 that we left out? Let us know in the comments below.

Article Link: Everything New in iOS 18 Beta 2
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/06/24/everything-new-in-ios-18-beta-2/
Last edited:
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There was no mixed multi language support in the keyboard in the first beta, I use that a lot, lets see if it's back again.
Edit: ....Nope....

Checking for updates, seems like somethings up, get the spinning wheel, no timeout.
Edit: Took more than a minute to check if there was an update.
 
Last edited:
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The slight edits I made to the control center on B1 were erased with B2. I half-expected this so I did not spend a lot of time customizing CC. Nor have I done much to the home screen, as this has created big problems in previous beta cycles.
 
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Reactions: michaelnugent, broncopde and applematte
Wouldn't it be neat if when mirroring your iPhone you could display the main screen and the others and then organize apps by dragging them from one screen to another, adding them to folders, etc.
 
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5H3PH3RD said:
Article is wrong. I am on a U.S. carrier that supports RCS and I don’t have the setting.
Click to expand...
which carrier are you on? The setting appears to be on my for t-mobile. I am not sure if it is actually using other not, not sure how to tell.
 
genuine, non-sarcastic question: what is the point of having an RCS toggle? is it just about carrier support?
 
mikecwest said:
which carrier are you on? The setting appears to be on my for t-mobile. I am not sure if it is actually using other not, not sure how to tell.
Click to expand...
Google Fi which uses T-Mobile. Someone that accessed Beta 1 code said NVMO not supported. Here are my thoughts as to why I don’t see it:

1. NVMO not suported
2. Required carrier update to device
3. I’m on a U.S. iPhone, US region settings, US carrier and located in the U.S. but logged in with my UK Apple account, so it might be locked to Apple account location.
 
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