Apple has big plans for iOS 26, but that doesn’t mean you need to twiddle your thumbs and wait before improving your iPhone experience. iOS 18.5 has tons of features that you can tweak to better customize your experience and make your phone work for you. From keeping your battery going longer to cleaning up clutter, tweaking a few settings can make a major impact on your daily usage.
After digging into the latest version, I found ten settings that immediately enhanced how I use my device. Some are simple quality-of-life upgrades, while others help cut down on background drain or boost privacy. You don’t need to be a tech expert to implement them, and most take less than a minute to apply. If your iPhone feels sluggish or isn’t performing as you’d like, these quick adjustments might be all you need to get back on track.
Streamline Your Emails with Mail Categories
The Mail app traditionally keeps a chronological list of emails, which can become unwieldy with a barrage of promotions and notifications. The new categories feature groups messages into Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions, but it isn’t for everyone. If you find this approach lacking, consider two adjustments.
If categories are somewhat useful but you prefer seeing all emails chronologically, swipe to the right and select All Mail. Alternatively, to turn off categories altogether, tap the three-dot menu (…) in the top-right corner and choose List View.
Customize Your Lock Screen Buttons
In iOS 18, you’re finally able to replace the fixed flashlight and camera buttons on your lock screen. This flexibility allows you to add functionalities like Shazam, Dark Mode, and alarms—all just a thumbpress away.
To customize these buttons, hold down on your lock screen until you see the Customize button. After unlocking your phone, tap Customize and choose Lock Screen. You can remove buttons by tapping the – (minus) icon and replace them by tapping the space marked with a +.
Introducing Prioritize Notifications
If you own an iPhone model that supports Apple Intelligence, you’ll love Prioritize Notifications. Navigate to Settings > Notifications, and under Apple Intelligence, you can enable this feature. Your iPhone will intelligently prioritize notifications, ensuring that more important alerts—like texts from your contacts—are highlighted over less relevant ones.
Redefining the Action Button
The Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro and later models allows for significant customization. By default, pressing it activates Silent Mode, but you can configure it to perform actions such as launching the Camera or using Apple TV remote controls.
To set a different action, go to Settings > Action Button and swipe through to select your preferred action.
Refresh Your Home Screen
iOS 18 allows you to reposition app icons freely, marking a radical change from a fixed grid layout. You can also introduce widgets to the home screen for easy access to information.
To rearrange apps, hold down on the home screen to enter jiggle mode and adjust accordingly. You can also enable Dark Mode on your home screen, enhancing overall visibility during nighttime use.
Revamp Your Control Center
Control Center in iOS 18 became infinitely customizable. You can reposition controls, resize them for additional information, and add dozens of new options. Access it by swiping down from the top-right corner, then entering edit mode by pressing the + button.
Protect Your Privacy with App Locks
With iOS 18, you can lock sensitive applications with Face ID or Touch ID. Long-press the app icon you want to secure, select Require Face ID, and confirm. To hide an app altogether, tap Hide and Require Face ID from the menu, moving it to a hidden folder in your App Library.
Adjust Photos Video Playback
Tired of videos looping automatically? In Photos under iOS 18.2, you can disable the Loop Videos feature. Simply navigate to Settings > Photos and turn off Loop Videos.
Enhance Your Calendar Experience
The Calendar app in iOS 18 introduces new viewing options, such as pinch-to-zoom in the Month view and a two-day Multi Day view to help you stay organized.
Improved Dialogue Clarity in the TV App
iOS 18 has also enhanced the TV app’s audio settings to help you better hear dialogue, allowing you to adjust the audio balance via Enhance Dialogue in the options while watching content.