Apple is trickling out new iPhone features as part of the beta rollout of its next major software release, iOS 18.5.
Since mid-April, the tech giant has released three preview versions of the update, the latest of which landed on Monday (April 21).
These trial builds allow testers, including developers and members of the public, to get an early taste of the perks that are coming down the pipe in the main release.
Here’s everything we know about iOS 18.5 so far, including its release date and features.
iOS 18.5 release date - when is the iPhone update coming out?
Apple has not officially announced the public release date for iOS 18.5. However, based on past release patterns, the software is widely expected to arrive in mid-May 2025, likely during the second week of the month. Last year’s iOS 17.5, for instance, was released on May 13.
At the moment, iOS 18.5 is only available in beta for developers and public testers, with the first public beta landing on April 15, 2025.
iOS 18.5 features - what’s new?
This being the last significant update till iOS 19, you’d think Apple would go out on a bang. But, that doesn’t appear to be the case, with the betas indicating that iOS 18.5 will be low on eye-catching features.
Still, it offers more of the customisation that iOS 18 as a whole was designed around - and there might even be some AI upgrades under the hood.
For example, the recently redesigned Apple Mail app now lets you disable contact photos in your inbox, giving it more of the old-school look.
It’s also a lot easier to switch to the “All Mail” view, which is now located as a fifth category option below the search bar next to “Promotions”. Previously, you had to swipe across the row of categories to get to it, meaning some users probably didn’t even know it was there. Both the Mail features were originally spotted by 9to5Mac.
On the AI front, Apple is reportedly planning to test an improved version of Apple Intelligence in an iOS 18.5 beta release, though it’s unclear when it will land.
The move will see Apple starting to check real data on your device to help improve its AI, while keeping your personal info private.
Until now, Apple has trained its AI using fake data designed to look like real-world info, but this hasn’t always matched what users actually write or do. To fix this, Apple will let its devices compare that fake data to samples from real emails stored on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. The real emails never leave your device.
This will help Apple fine-tune features like notification summaries, writing suggestions, and message recaps, so they work more accurately — and, theoretically, help the company catch up to AI rivals like OpenAI and Google.
