One of the coolest and sneakiest iOS 18 upgrades comes to the flashlight

iOS 18 logo on iPhone
(Image credit: Future)

Apple has now spilled the beans on all things iOS 18. Well, most things.

Shortly after the WWDC 2024 keynote, users on X (via Neowin) posted videos of themselves messing with the operating system. During this, they discovered that Apple had quietly made some massive improvements to the iPhone flashlight.

Basically, iOS 18 will let you customize the flashlight's beam and brightness instead of being locked to a certain setting. When you turn the flashlight on, a new animation pops up on the screen from the Dynamic Island, showing the status of the light (you can also tap the Dynamic Island to make it come out if you want). You can then slide horizontally to change the light's radius or vertically to adjust the brightness. 

While not necessarily as revolutionary as the AI features packed into Apple Intelligence or as exciting as the ability to customize icons on your iPhone in iOS 18, for people who rely on their iPhone's flashlight on a regular basis, this is definitely an exciting upgrade for their devices. 

Because this is just being shown by users on X and not officially announced by Apple, we don't know if there will be any device limitations or if all devices that support iOS 18 will be able to enjoy the flashlight enhancements. Presumably, it'll be the latter unless there are differences in the type of LED included with some older model iPhones, of which we aren't aware. 

Apple is also rolling out changes to the quick buttons on the lock screen. Flashlight and camera are there by default on iOS 17, but with iOS 18, users will be able to change those buttons to other shortcuts that better suit their needs. Of course, with the flashlight becoming more useful, there may not be a reason to change a thing.

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Dave LeClair
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Dave LeClair is the Senior News Editor for Tom's Guide, keeping his finger on the pulse of all things technology. He loves taking the complicated happenings in the tech world and explaining why they matter. Whether Apple is announcing the next big thing in the mobile space or a small startup advancing generative AI, Dave will apply his experience to help you figure out what's happening and why it's relevant to your life.

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