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Apple just released a preview of iOS 18. Here’s what’s new.
Apple released a beta version of iOS 18, its latest operating system for its iPhone and other devices, for some consumers and developers to test. The new operating system includes more customization and a redesigned Photos app.
The preview, released Monday, provides the public with a sneak peek ahead of the software’s official debut this fall. But those who test the software won’t immediately have access to all of its expected features, like Apple Intelligence, the company’s AI offering that it highlighted last month at its Worldwide Developers Conference.
To access the iOS 18 beta software, you’ll first need to sign up for the Apple Beta Software Program. Then go to “settings” on your device, and from there click on “general.” After that, click on “software update” to download the beta program.
One important issue to be aware of is that because beta programs are still under development, early adopters could encounter bugs or glitches.
Here are five new iOS 18 features available in the beta version.
Customize your home screen
Currently, iPhone users can customize their home screens with different wallpapers, including their own photos. But the apps on your homescreen can conceal these photos. iOS 18 lets you move your apps to the top, sides, and bottom of the screen, just above the dock, for a better view of your wallpaper photo.
You can also change the color of app icons, and adjust their shade as well.
“There are so many possibilities to make your home screen truly your own,” Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, said at Apple’s WWDC 24.
The new operating system also makes the iPhone’s control center more customizable.
For instance, users can wipe down from the top right corner of the device’s screen to see different types of controls in one contiguous motion, and can also enlarge the control buttons that are used most often.
Hide your apps from others
Don’t want a friend to know you’re using an app to track your hair loss? New privacy functions let you effectively hide certain apps from others when you hand them your phone to say, look at a picture.
You can lock an app, so others can’t access its data and contents, or hide it from your home screen altogether in a locked, hidden apps folder.
Tapback on texts with emojis
Currently, iPhone users can respond to a text by holding it and reacting with a small number of icons, such as a thumbs up or a heart, for example. With iOS 18, users will have more options for these so-called “tapbacks,” allowing them to use emojis or stickers as reactions.
You’ll also be able to now schedule messages, like a birthday wish, to be sent at a date of your choosing, similar to scheduling emails to be sent at specific days or times.
Also within messages, you can bold, italicize, strikethrough or underline text to draw the recipient’s attention to certain words.
iOS 18 will also enable satellite messaging, so iPhone users will be able to send messages when they don’t have wifi or cellular service.
A cleaner inbox
New capabilities are also coming to the mail app. It will categorize emails for users into four sections:
- A primary inbox
- A transactions inbox for receipts and order confirmations
- A section for newsletters and social media notices
- And a promotions tab for marketing and sales emails
Photos app redesign
Apple is also touting an overhaul of its photos app that lets users browse their photos in a single view, with a photo grid at the top of the screen, and a library at the bottom that is organized by theme, such as people, favorite memories or trips.
The new Photos app will also let users filter out screenshots from view, too.
Tupperware and some of its subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the once-iconic food container maker said in a statement late Tuesday.
The company has suffered from dwindling sales following a surprise surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, when legions of people stuck at home tried their hands at cooking, which increased demand for Tupperware’s colorful plastic containers with flexible airtight seals.
A post-pandemic rise in costs of raw materials and shipping, along with higher wages, also hurt Tupperware’s bottom line.
Last year, it warned of “substantial doubt” about its ability to keep operating in light of its poor financial position.
“Over the last several years, the Company’s financial position has been severely impacted by the challenging macroeconomic environment,” president and CEO Laurie Ann Goldman said in a statement announcing the bankruptcy filing.
“As a result, we explored numerous strategic options and determined this is the best path forward,” Goldman said.
The company said it would seek court approval for a sale process for the business to protect its brand and “further advance Tupperware’s transformation into a digital-first, technology-led company.”
The Orlando, Florida-based firm said it would also seek approval to continue operating during the bankruptcy proceedings and would continue to pay its employees and suppliers.
“We plan to continue serving our valued customers with the high-quality products they love and trust throughout this process,” Goldman said.
The firm’s shares were trading at $0.5099 Monday, well down from $2.55 in December last year.
Tupperware said it had implemented a strategic plan to modernize its operations and drive efficiencies to ignite growth following the appointment of a new management team last year.
“The Company has made significant progress and intends to continue this important transformation work.”
In its filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, Tupperware listed assets of between $500 million and $1 billion and liabilities of between $1 billion and $10 billion.
The filing also said it had between 50,000 and 100,000 creditors.
Tupperware lost popularity with consumers in recent years and an initiative to gain distribution through big-box chain Target failed to reverse its fortunes.
The company’s roots date to 1946, when chemist Earl Tupper “had a spark of inspiration while creating molds at a plastics factory shortly after the Great Depression,” according to Tupperware’s website.
“If he could design an airtight seal for plastic storage containers, like those on a paint can, he could help war-weary families save money on costly food waste.”
Over time, Tupper’s containers became popular that many people referred to any plastic food container as Tupperware. And people even threw “Tupperware parties” in their homes to sell the containers to friends and neighbors.
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