Apple Released iOS 18.5 RC, and It Includes a Few Small iPhone Changes

Apple debuted the iOS 18.5 release candidate on May 6, more than a month after the company released iOS 18.4 to the general public. While that update brought more emoji to all iPhones, the RC brings a few small changes and a new Pride wallpaper. Because the latest release is the RC, Apple could release the update to the general public as early as next week. 

An Expert’s Guide to iOS 18

Since the RC isn’t necessarily the final version of iOS 18.5, I recommend downloading it on something other than your primary device. The update might be buggy, and battery life may be affected, so it’s best to keep those troubles on a secondary phone.

Also, since the RC is not the final version, adjustments could land on your iPhone when the update is released. There’s no word on when Apple will release the iOS 18.5 update to the general public, but it’s usually a week after the RC comes out. 

Here’s what could appear on your iPhone with iOS 18.5. (Just a reminder: Only developers and beta testers with an iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max or the iPhone 16 lineup can access Apple Intelligence for now. If you have any other iPhone, you won’t have access to those features.)

New Pride wallpaper

Every year, Apple comes out with a new Pride wallpaper ahead of Pride Month, and this year is no different. The iOS 18.5 RC includes the latest iteration of the wallpaper, called “Pride Harmony,” which features bold stripes that shift and change position as you move. 

iOS 18.5 tweaks Mail options

Apple introduced a few Mail app updates in the iOS 18.5 RC. One of those updates makes it easier to adjust the app’s settings by showing or hiding contact photos in Mail. Contact photos are the images to the left of emails that help identify senders. 

Mail will show Contact Posters by default, but you can turn them off from within the app with the iOS 18.5 RC. To do so, open Mail, tap the three dots (…) in the top-right corner of your screen and tap Show Contact Photos. Now, all your emails will just show the subject line and a preview of the message, similar to how Mail looked before iOS 18.

This option is in iOS 18.4, but it’s buried in Settings and not easy to locate. 

Another update concerns Categories. If the mode is enabled, you can see a small tab on the right side of your screen near the other categories. Swipe the categories bar near the top of Mail to the left, and this small tab will expand to reveal the category All Mail. 

This category isn’t new; you can find it in iOS 18.4. But, there was no small tab on the right side of your screen to signal it was present off-screen. Therefore, All Mail flew under the radar — I didn’t even know the option was there until this beta.

This category appears to be a way to simultaneously enable Categories and List View — the pre-Categories view of Mail. By tapping All Mail, you’re viewing your messages without any categorization, like in List View.

Back Tap banner

The iOS 18.5 RC also introduces the option to display a banner using the Back Tap function. Back Tap turns the Apple logo on the back of your iPhone into a usable button that can open your camera, take a screenshot and more when you double or triple tap it. And with the iOS 18.5 RC, you can make your iPhone display a banner whenever you use Back Tap.

To enable the banner, go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap and tap the toggle next to Show Banner. If you enable the banner and use Back Tap, the banner will appear across the top of your screen and read, “Back Tap Double/Triple Tap detected.”

iOS 18.5 RC release notes

Here are the full release notes for the iOS 18.5 RC.

This update also includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:

• A new Pride Harmony wallpaper.
• Parents now receive a notification when the Screen Time passcode is used on a child’s device.
• Buy with iPhone is available when purchasing content within the Apple TV app on a third-party device.
• Fixes an issue where the Apple Vision Pro app may display a black screen.
• Support for carrier-provided satellite features is available on iPhone 13 (all models). For more information visit: https://support.apple.com/122339.

Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit:

https://support.apple.com/100100

Anything else in the beta?

Not that I can tell, and I’m not surprised. Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference is set to happen in June, so iOS 18.5 will likely remain sparse on features so Apple can focus on iOS 19. 

There might be another RC before iOS 18.5 is released to the public, but I wouldn’t expect to see any other new features in the upcoming update. Apple has not announced when it will release iOS 18.5 to the general public, but it could be as early as next week. 

For more on iOS 18, here’s what you need to know about iOS 18.4.1 and all the latest features in iOS 18.4. You can also check out our iOS 18 cheat sheet.

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