iOS 18 Secrets: 10 Hidden Tweaks to Speed Up Your iPhone Right Now

Apple is bringing little changes in iOS 26 with the overall performance improvement of the operating system along with fixing bugs that made some users hesitant to take the plunge right away. In the meantime, iOS 18 has been continued to provide an extensive range of enhancements for the performance, privacy, and usability areas to facilitate users.

The users don’t even have to know about the hidden features for their iPhone to be able to save time and make the device last more than a day on a single charge, and finally, to decorate their gadgets, all this in less than one minute.

Adjust Mail App Categories

The iOS 18 brings the categorization of emails into Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions done by the system. The users can again return to the chronological view by swiping right and tapping on All Mail or completely turning off the categories through the three-dot menu in the upper right corner and picking List View.

Customize Lock Screen Buttons

One of the strongest points of iPhone lock screen is that the user can entirely change or erase the default flashlight and camera shortcuts. The user can choose the functions such as Shazam, Dark Mode, alarms, Airplane Mode, Wallet, or Tap to Cash. Go to the lock screen, press and hold until you see Customize, select Lock Screen and then modify buttons by tapping the minus icon to delete or the plus icon to give new actions.

Prioritize Notifications Using Apple Intelligence

The latest version of iOS 18.4 has broadened the Hill of the AI-prompted prioritization of notifications. A function can be found Under Settings > Notifications, where the Prioritize Notifications option makes it possible for the device to not only show alerts from key contacts but also to mute notifications of lesser importance. The same goes for the case in which the notifications from the individual applications can be set as priority or not.

Configure the Action Button

For the users of iPhone 15 Pro, 16, 16E, 16 Pro, and 17, there is the possibility of changing the Action Button purpose instead of the conventional mute button, which is its replacement. Among the options now are the access to the Camera, a variety of automated tasks, or AI-based Visual Intelligence functions. It is possible to change the settings under Settings > Action Button, with swipe movements to choose the control that you want.

Redesign Home Screen Layout

iOS 18 has a feature that lets users arrange the app icons absolutely anywhere within a grid which also means users get to keep their wallpapers. Maps are just one of the apps that can be turned into mini-widgets that show extra details. The home screen now fully supports Dark mode with the help of changing icon backgrounds, colored icons, and large-icon which also comes with hidden labels. Using the eyedropper tool lets the user apply custom color tints for background matching.

Control Center Customization

The users have the power to change the order, size, or even the way control functions are displayed in the Control Center. With multi-screen functionality, users can have different pages for media, Home controls, and connectivity options, each with its respective controls. The edit interface allows users to control their settings easily by moving, removing, or adding controls.

Lock and Hide Sensitive Apps

The new operating system iOS 18 offers locking of whole apps through Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode system. Alternatively, apps can be placed in a hidden folder in the App Library which is password or fingerprint protected. Locking is available for some system apps less privacy is given as they can be hidden but not unaccessed. Accessing hidden apps necessitates authentication thus preventing unauthorized access and guaranteeing the privacy of sensitive content.

Disable Loop Videos in Photos

In the Photos by default setting, videos will keep playing back even after they have been shown once. Users who want to stop continuous video playback can turn off this feature at Settings > Photos > Loop Videos. Furthermore, Motion Auto-Play is another setting that can be turned off so that videos do not start to play automatically.

New Calendar Views

The Calendar app provides the Month view a pinch-to-zoom feature thus gaining great event previews in detail. The Day view now has a Multi-Day option with the two consecutive days shown side by side which does not require landscape orientation.

The TV app in iOS 18 has become a real game changer when it comes to clarity, as it gives the users upgraded features that enable clearer dialogues. The viewers can access Audio Adjustments while consuming the content and opt for Enhance Dialogue or Boost to keenly hear the speech and reduce the background at the same time.