Everything new in iOS 18.5

After over a month of beta testing, iOS 18.5 is now available for all compatible iPhones. Unlike previous point iOS 18 releases, the new build does not pack any significant new features.

The update mainly includes minor changes, but older iPhones will receive one major new feature. Keep reading to know about everything new in iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5.

New features in iOS 18.5

iOS 18.5 drops less than a month before WWDC25, when Apple will lay out its big plans for the coming year’s major operating system updates.

So it’s no wonder iOS 18.5 is light on changes and contains no new Apple Intelligence features. Older iPhone users will benefit the most from this update, as it brings carrier-powered satellite connectivity to them.

Table of contents: New features in iOS 18.5

• Satellite connectivity for older iPhones
• Pride wallpapers and watch face
• Mail app improvements
• Conclusion

Satellite connectivity comes to older iPhones

iOS 18.5 adds support for carrier-powered satellite connectivity to the iPhone 13 family. iPhone 14 and newer models already feature satellite connectivity, enabling them to contact emergency services in no-network areas.

In the United States, T-Mobile joined forces with Starlink to provide emergency satellite connectivity to older devices that lack the required hardware. With iOS 18.5, Apple enables support for this connectivity option on the iPhone 13.

Pride wallpapers and watch face

iOS 18.5 introduces new Pride wallpapers for the iPhone and iPad. Apple says the wallpaper “features colors that change position as users move, lock, or unlock the device.”

Apple Watches also gain a new Pride Harmony watch face with watchOS 11.5.

Turn off contact photos in the Mail app

The Apple Intelligence-powered Mail app, which Apple introduced with iOS 18.2, gains two minor tweaks in iOS 18.5. You can now directly switch to List View and turn off contact photos from the three-dot overflow menu button on the top right. Previously, Apple buried these options deep inside the Mail app settings.

Another small change involves a more prominent “All Mail” view in the Mail app.

You can find Apple’s official release notes for iOS 18.5 below.

• A new Pride Harmony wallpaper
• Parents now receive a notification when the Screen Time passcode is used on a child’s device
• Buy with iPhone is available when purchasing content within the Apple TV app on a 3rd party device
• Fixes an issue where the Apple Vision Pro app may display a black screen
• Support for carrier-provided satellite features is available on iPhone 13 (all models).

No new Apple Intelligence features

Apple focused heavily on Apple Intelligence in previous iOS 18 releases. That’s not the case with iOS 18.5. With the company going back to the drawing board with Siri, and its other AI features failing to impress, we might see Apple unveil new AI features at WWDC25 next month with iOS 19.