Apple pushed iOS 18.5 beta 1 to developers within days of iOS 18.4‘s public release. While the latter packed several notable new features, the first iOS 18.5 beta sports relatively few changes.
Below are all the changes we have discovered in iOS 18.5 beta 1 so far.
iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 beta 1: What’s new and changed
Turn Off Contact Photos in Mail app
Screenshot: Rajesh Pandey/CultOfMac
With iOS 18.2, Apple introduced a new AI-powered Mail app on the iPhone that categorizes your emails based on their content. Apple rolled out the new Mail app to iPads and Macs with the release of iPadOS 18.4 and macOS Sequoia 15.4.
Now, in iOS 18.5 beta 1, Apple has added the option to switch to List View and turn off contact photos directly to the three-dot overflow menu on the top-right. In older versions of the OS, you had to dive deep into the Mail app settings to find these options.
Switching to List view and turning off contact photos will give the Mail app a look similar to its pre-Apple Intelligence upgrade.
New modem firmware
iOS 18.5 beta 1 updates the modem on the iPhone 16 Pro and older iPhones. This could help with better network reception in areas with spotty coverage and/or reduce power consumption.
We have not yet come across any other changes in iOS 18.5 beta 1. Apple may only focus on minor changes and bug fixes with this release. It could hold back on bigger changes for iOS 19, which will be unveiled at WWDC25 in June.
Apple seemingly planned to release a smarter Siri, first showcased at WWDC24, with iOS 18.5. However, in early March, the company announced it would delay the launch of the more personalized Siri until next year.
