Two of the iPhone 16's video features could be coming to older iPhones via iOS 18

iPhone 16 Pro hands on display
(Image credit: Future)

There's not long left until iOS 18 rolls out to every user with a compatible iPhone. And even if most of those users won't have an iPhone 16, there are a couple of features from these new iPhones that they will get.

As a last-minute surprise gift, the iOS 18 release candidate (in theory the final beta version of the software before it goes live) has added the ability to change the playback speed of videos via the Photos app, and to pause and resume recordings at will.

By tapping a clock icon in the top right of the editing window, you can adjusting the frame rate of your clip, and thereby the playback speed. Options go from 24 to 240 frames per second.

Screenshot of the iOS 18 release candidate public beta, showing the playback speed control

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

When we tried to find this feature in the iOS 18 public beta release candidate, we only found a reduced playback speed choice of either 30fps or 60fps. But the video pause and resume options appeared as expected.

Screenshot of the iOS 18 release candidate public beta, showing the video record pause option, and the resume screen

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Apple showed off both of these features for the iPhone 16 during the Glowtime event. It was therefore assumed this was exclusive to the new iPhones, but this update would indicate that any iOS 18-compatible iPhone can use them, not just Apple's latest.

That said, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be able to make better use of playback adjustment than other iPhone running iOS 18. Since these models can record video in 4K 120fps in Slo-mo or standard Video mode, we assume these are the only phone that can use all the speed options demonstrated by Apple.

iOS 18 is going live on September 16, so less than a week's time from this article going live. If your iPhone's an iPhone XS or newer, you'll hopefully be able to try these out for yourself very soon. But if you reckon it's time for an upgrade, check our our iPhone 16 hands-on and iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max hands-on stories for our first impressions of Apple's latest hardware.

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Richard Priday
Assistant Phones Editor

Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.