What’s New in iOS 18 Beta 3?

With the release of the third beta 3 of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 today, Apple has made several tweaks to various features such as the Dark Mode icon, the Photos app, emojis in Messages, and more, indicating preparations for the launch of Apple's Intelligence.

Apple will continue to update iOS 18 over the next few months, refining the beta before its official release. Here’s a summary of everything new in the iOS 18 beta 3.

Dark Mode Icon

There is now a Dark Mode icon for many third-party apps such as Facebook, Etsy, Telegram, Signal, Slack, Notion, YouTube, etc. Apple appears to be automatically adding Dark Mode icons to apps that have icons with specific colors.

For some icons, secondary colors become primary, while the background color changes to black, and in other icons, the white background switches to black.

Apps with complex icon designs with many colors do not switch to Dark Mode at this time, but Apple will darken them. When iOS 18 launches, app developers will be able to provide their own dark icons to replace Apple’s defaults.

Photos App

Apple has added a Select button for selecting multiple images to the main Photos interface, so there’s no need to swipe down to reach the Select button anymore.

With this change, the Search button is now just a magnifying glass but highlighted in blue to stand out more.

Emojis

In Messages, emojis, Memojis, and stickers are all combined into one interface, navigable by small icons at the bottom of the screen. There are icons you can tap to view stickers or Memojis, and you can scroll through your Memojis to quickly find specific characters and poses.

You can create both stickers and Memojis from this interface and use stickers directly in your messages just like emojis. This feature only works with non-animated stickers, and animated stickers from Live Photos will display at a larger size. However, smaller stickers used as emojis are difficult to see.

Emojis are displayed larger than before, so you’ll see more detail but fewer characters before having to scroll, and more emojis and stickers are displayed at once in the Recent section.

Apple may have made these changes in preparation for the launch of Apple Intelligence, Genmoji, and Image Playground.

Wallpaper

There is a dynamic version of the iOS 18 wallpaper that shifts through different colors based on the time of day.

Flashlight Interface

When you activate the Flashlight or tap the controls from Dynamic Island, there’s a larger and more intuitive interface for adjusting the brightness and spread of the LED flash used for the Flashlight feature.

Maps

Apple has once again adjusted the color of the Maps icon when Dark Mode is activated.

RCS in Messages

The RCS interface in the Messages section of the Settings app has changed. Instead of just appearing as a toggle button, it is now a tap-through menu that provides additional context. Apple explains that sending and receiving messages using RCS uses wireless data and that the mobile network identifier may be shared with carriers and their partners.

Some iPhone users in Canada and other countries now also see the RCS toggle, though it’s unclear whether RCS works outside the U.S.

Apple Intelligence

There are several mentions of Apple Intelligence features in the code, suggesting further AI additions coming in the iOS 18 beta. The code references Genmoji, Image Playground, Writing Tool, Magic Wand for images, and more.

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