The New iOS 18.6 Update Is Available: Now, adjust these ten crucial settings.

Make the most of your regular iPhone experience by adjusting your iOS 18 settings.

In front of a cozy fireplace, a hand clutches an iPhone.

My iPhone seemed smoother, smarter, and more individualized when I changed these settings.
Apple has released iOS 18.6 with significant bug fixes and security upgrades, which may be the last major iOS update until iOS 26 (for which you may install the public beta now) arrives in the autumn. Any new version raises the question: Are you making the most of iOS 18’s capabilities on your iPhone? Now is the ideal moment to give your iPhone a quick tune-up, regardless of whether you’ve recently updated or haven’t looked at your settings in a while. Making the appropriate adjustments may streamline daily chores and save future needless hassles.

I looked into the most recent version and discovered ten options that instantly changed the way I use my iPhone. Some improve privacy or reduce background drain, while others are straightforward quality-of-life enhancements. Most of these modifications take less than a minute to implement, and you don’t need to be an expert in technology to execute them. These easy fixes might be all you need to get your iPhone back on track if it has been acting a bit slow or just not functioning the way you want it to.

Read about updates to the Mail app and the redesigned Calculator app for more information on what’s new in iOS 18. Additionally, before updating, make sure you have a suitable backup by consulting our iOS 18 upgrade checklist.

Disable categories in the Mail application.

Everybody handles the deluge of communications in a different way when it comes to something like email. The Mail app has always maintained a chronological list, but if you also receive a ton of receipts, promotions, and other emails, that might become cumbersome. The new categories feature estimates how your messages should be arranged and generates virtual buckets for Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions.

Here are two things to attempt if that method doesn’t work for you.

• If you prefer a chronological view of your inbox yet find categories to be of some value, swipe all the way to the right of the categories and select All Mail.

• To completely disable categories, select List View after tapping the three-dot menu (…) in the upper-right corner.

The Mail app with Categories enabled and the options to return to List view are seen in two iPhone screenshots.
Mail Categories can be disabled from within the inbox. (This is the iOS 18.5 beta.)
Alter the lock screen’s default buttons
The bottom corners of the iPhone lock screen are the best locations for real estate, and while your phone is locked, you can easily access them with a thumb push. Prior to iOS 18, the flashlight and camera buttons controlled those posts, and there was no way to modify them.

In iOS 18, you can now swap them out for other buttons or take them off completely, which is a relief for people who accidentally turn on the flashlight (trust me, there’s a better way to turn it on). You may add buttons to open your wallet, send money via Tap to Cash, set an alarm or timer, activate Airplane Mode, enable Dark Mode, and Shazam music recognition, among other features.

Here’s how:

1. Touch and hold anywhere on the iPhone’s lock screen until the Customize button appears. You must use your passcode, Face ID, or Touch ID to open the phone. Swipe down from the center-top of the screen (not the right edge, which displays Control Center) if it opens the home screen.

2. After selecting Customize, select Lock Screen.

3. Tap the icon’s – (minus) button to remove one of the buttons.

4. Tap the button’s space (now with a plus icon) to swap it out for another function, and then select the desired one from the resulting screen. (You may alternatively choose not to have a button in that area.)

5. If you wish to modify the other button, use the same procedures.

6. When you’re done, tap Done.

7. To get out of customize mode, tap the lock screen once again.

Two images of iOS 18 that demonstrate how to modify the lock screen. The lower-left control’s negative button is indicated by an arrow. The screen with the available replacement controls is on the right.
Tap the − (minus) button to remove a lock screen button, and then select a different control to take its place.

Prioritize Notifications to get critical alerts.

One of my favorite AI features in iOS 18.4 is a new option for iPhone models that support Apple Intelligence. Select Prioritize Notifications under Apple Intelligence after selecting Settings > Notifications. Apple Intelligence decides which notifications are more likely to be significant to you as they arrive, even though on some days it seems like they come in waves. For instance, random scam messages may be highlighted in favor of texts from contacts. You may activate or disable priority notifications for certain applications on that settings screen.

Disclaimer:

This article is based on personal experience and publicly available information about iOS 18 features. All iPhone settings mentioned here are safe to modify but may vary depending on device model and iOS version. Please ensure your iPhone is backed up before making system changes. This content is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple Inc. Screenshots or app visuals used are for educational and illustrative purposes only.