Apple’s iOS 18.2 is officially here, and let me tell you, it is absolutely jam-packed with more than 70 new features and changes. We’re talking about a completely redesigned Mail app, some seriously useful new Apple Intelligence features (we’ll dive into those later!), a big overhaul for Photos, AirTag upgrades, Safari tweaks, Podcasts discovery, and so much more. There’s a ton to cover, so let’s quit stalling and get straight to it!
We’ll talk about Apple Intelligence separately. First up, let’s tackle the non-Apple Intelligence features available for all devices. If you’re curious about the early insights into Apple’s groundbreaking AI, read our Apple Intelligence Early Review: Practical iOS 18.1 Features article.
The Mail App Gets a Gmail-Style Makeover
iOS 18.2 delivers a massively redesigned Mail application. Check out the difference:
The change hits you right away up top. We now have categories built right into the stock Mail app, similar to what you’d see on Gmail. Here’s the breakdown:
1. Primary: This is where your critical stuff lives – time-sensitive emails, important messages, the things that really matter.
2. Transactions: Your receipts, order confirmations, shipping updates, delivery notifications – anything involving a purchase or financial action lands here.
3. Updates: Subscriptions, social media notifications, news alerts. Sometimes newsletters sneak in here too.
4. Promotions: This tab is mostly for marketing blasts and newsletters.
Navigating Categories & The Secret “All Mail” Spot
While you’re in any category (Primary, Transactions, etc.), just tap the category name (e.g., “Primary”) at the very top. Watch for that little stacking animation – boom! You’re taken to the All Mail view. It’s a section showing *every* single message.
Have you noticed something cool in the Primary inbox? Swipe left on an email. You get extra options, including Clear. Why? Because an email might be in Primary and another category (like Transactions, shown by the green glyph icon). Hitting “Clear” removes it only from Primary – it stays safe in Transactions and All Mail, just like Gmail.
Digest View:
Go into Updates or Promotions. Tap on a sender’s name (like that newsletter you get daily). This will get you into the new Digest View! This bundles all messages from that sender into one easy-to-scroll list.
Your entire history with that sender, neatly organized.
The sender’s name and glyph icon stick to the top as you scroll.
Tap the three dots (•••) top-right: You can see the sender’s info, mark them as read, archive all their messages, or categorize the sender. Tapping “Categorize Sender” lets you choose automatic categorization or manually assign them to a specific tab (e.g., always send “TechNews Daily” to Promotions). You can also change existing categorization here.
GlyphIcons:
The other big visual change? Glyph icons now appear to the left of every email. For businesses, it might be their logo (like USPS, Amazon, or Apple). For individuals, it shows a profile pic glyph.
You can Tap the three dots (•••) in the top-right corner of the main Mail view and select List View to go back to the classic single inbox look, but you still get the benefit of those glyph icons next to each message.
Mail Stats & Manual Control
The About Categories button shows some amazing things! For example: “In the last week, Mail categorized some of the messages as Primary out from incoming total messages.
At the bottom is an option for the Reset Manual Categorization button. It is important if you’ve been manually assigning senders and want a clean slate.
How to manually categorize: Swipe left on an email > Tap “More” > Scroll down to Categorize Sender. Choose where you want emails from this specific sender to always go (e.g., “Updates”). Confirm, and Mail will recategorize all existing and future messages from them.
Smarter Notifications:
Go to Settings > Mail > Notifications > Customize Notifications.
Scroll all the way down to the brand new section: Badge Count
Toggle on Only Primary. Now, your Mail app badge on the Home Screen will only show the count of unread messages in your Primary category. No more being crowded by hundreds of unread Promotions!
Photos App: Major UX Overhaul & Bug Fixes!
The Photos app has been getting some flak lately, but iOS 18.2 brings significant changes that might calm the waters.
1. Tall Images Behave Differently: Open a portrait-orientation (tall) image. On pre-18.2, it zoomed out, forcing you to tap to see it full screen. No more! In 18.2, tall images open fully zoomed in by default, showing the entire image immediately. (Whether this is a pro or con depends on your preference!).
2. Visible Thumbnail Carousel: The thumbnail carousel at the bottom is now always visible when viewing a single photo or video! You don’t have to tap the image first to see your other pics.
3. Redesigned Photo/Video Info Bar: Open any photo or video.
The info bar at the top has moved! Previously, date/time was on the left. Now:
- Top Center: Location (if available)
- Directly Below Location: Date
- To the Right of Date: Time
- The Favorites (heart) icon has a slightly new look.
The Shared Album glyph (two people) also looks refreshed. Tap it – the icon inside the popover is no longer filled in.
Goodbye ‘X’, Hello Back Arrow: The “X” to close a photo/video in the top-right corner is gone. Now, you use the standard back arrow (<) in the top-left corner. Much more consistent!
Video Player Upgrades:
Frame-by-Frame Scrubbing: iOS 18.2 now shows milliseconds, allowing you to scrub frame-by-frame with incredible precision. Which could be Super useful!
Looping Videos:
- iOS 18.1: The video automatically loops.
- iOS 18.2: The video stops
- Control It! Head to Settings > Photos. You’ll find a brand new toggle: “Loop Videos“. Turn this ON if you prefer the old looping behavior.
Collections Navigation Revolution (Albums, Utilities, etc.):
“Collections” include Albums, Utilities, Media Types, People, Places – basically any grouped view.
Natural Navigation: Go into any collection (like “Albums” or “Utilities”). See the back arrow (<) in the top-left corner? That’s new! Before, you only had an “X” top-right or had to swipe down. Now, you can swipe from the left edge of the screen – the natural iOS gesture to go back – and it works perfectly! Huge UX improvement.
New Entrance Animations: The animation when entering collections is smoother and different. Instead of popping up from the bottom, it now slides over elegantly from the right.
Albums View Revamp:
- “Create” (+ button) is now in the top-right, next to the three dots (•••).
- The categories (“Personal”, “Shared”, “Activity”) are slightly smaller.
- The view itself is full-screen now. Previously, it looked like a card floating over your library; now it takes over completely.
Tap the three dots (•••) top-right: You now have options to Sort (Custom Order, Name) and Change View (Grid or List). Choosing Grid here also changes your main Photos tab to the larger grid view! (List view keeps the classic smaller thumbnails).
Utilities Collection:
New Glyphs: “Recently Viewed” (eye icon) is larger and lost its circle background. “Recently Saved” now has a tiny clock glyph in its bottom-right corner.
Favorites now appears prominently at the top of the Utilities list.
“Recently Edited” and “Recently Shared” glyphs have subtle visual tweaks.
Counts & Clearing: Albums like “Recently Viewed” and “Recently Shared” now show the number of items directly underneath their name (e.g., “Recently Viewed”). Tap the three dots (•••) top-right in these albums – you now have a “Remove All from Recently Viewed/Shared” option! This clears your history but keeps the photos/videos safe in your main library. Super handy for privacy or just a clean slate.
All Utilities now show their item count with a small photo glyph next to the number.
Sharing Sheet & Icons:
Share a photo. Notice the Airdrop icon? It lost one of its lines!
Dark Mode Icons in Light Mode? If you have “Dark Mode Icons” enabled for your Home Screen (even if you’re currently in Light Mode), all glyph icons in the sharing sheet (and throughout Settings!) will render in their dark mode style. They look a bit odd in light mode but look phenomenal in actual Dark Mode. (Toggle Dark Mode on to see the difference).
CRITICAL BUG FIX:
Remember the massive complaint on TikTok and social media? “My recently taken photos don’t show up in the main grid!” Apple confirms iOS 18.2 fixes this issue.Finally! Recently captured photos should appear in the “All Photos” grid immediately.
Find My: AirTag Sharing is a GAME CHANGER!
Big news for AirTag and Find My network item owners!
1. New “Lost AirTag” Interface: Open Find My, select an AirTag or item. You’ll see a new section called “Lost AirTag” Tap “Show Contact Info” You’re greeted with a new splash screen” Tap to reveal information and allow others to get in touch. This isn’t a new feature (lost mode), but it’s a much clearer onboarding process to add your contact details if someone finds your tag.
2. SHARE ITEM LOCATION – The Big Deal: Below “Show Contact Info,” find the brand new “Share Item Location” button. This is HUGE.
Description: “Get help finding your lost AirTag by sharing its location with an airline or a trusted person. The person who opens the link will be able to see the location of your AirTag for a limited time.”
Tap “Continue”. You get a shareable link! Copy it or share it directly via Messages, Mail, etc. with a trusted contact or, crucially, an airline
3. How Airlines Use It: Apple announced partnerships with over 15 airlines to integrate systems that accept these location links. If your luggage (with an AirTag inside) is lost, share the link with the airline. They can log in “Continue as Apple Partner” and see your AirTag’s location in real-time on a map within Safari! No more frantic phone calls or trying to describe the location yourself.
4. Link Details: Anyone opening the link sees:
- A map with the AirTag’s location.
- The full address.
- Geo-coordinates.
- Last update timestamp.
- Owner info (Name, Phone Number – what you set in Lost Mode).
- AirTag serial number.
5. Manage Sharing: Back in Find My under “Share Item Location,” you’ll see:
- “Stop Sharing Item Location” (to revoke the link).
- How many people have viewed the link.
- The link’s expiration date/time.
Safari: New Looks & Downloads
New Wallpapers: Go to your Safari Start Page > Edit (bottom) > Background Image. Scroll down – you’ll find six brand new wallpapers! Tap to download and preview. They look slick.
Live Activity Downloads: Start downloading a file in Safari. Look up! You’ll now see a Live Activity progress bar right in the Dynamic Island/Lock Screen/Notification Center. Much clearer tracking.
Settings Tweaks:
- Go to Settings > Safari > Advanced > Website Data
- New options: “Import” (from other browsers) and “Export” your browsing history/website data. Handy for switching browsers or backing up.
- “Not Secure Connection Warning” toggle (ON by default).
- “HTTPS Priority Upgrades” (ON by default): Safari automatically tries to use the more secure HTTPS version of a site if available, instead of HTTP.
Password Settings:
- Go to Settings > Passwords > Password Options
- New toggle: “Do Not Ask When Signing In”. Enable this if you don’t want iOS to prompt you to save a password when logging into a site with new credentials.
Podcasts: Finally
The Podcasts app gets a much-needed discovery boost.
New “Categories” Tab:Go to the Library tab. See the brand new Categories section? This is gold! Browse categories like Relationships, Comedy, News, Science, True Crime, Technology, etc. Tap one (e.g., “Science”).
Personalized & Curated: Inside a category, you’ll find:
- Top Shows
- Essentials
- Top Episodes
- New Shows
- “More Categories” link
Crucially: It also shows podcasts you already follow that fit this category! Great mix of familiar and new.
Favorite Categories: See the star icon in the top-right corner while viewing a category (e.g., “Science”)? Tap it to Favorite That category!
Manage Your Favorites: Go back to the main Categories view. Your Favorited categories now appear pinned right at the top! Below each category, it shows how many podcasts you follow within it.
Add More Categories:Tap “Manage” in the top-right corner of the main Categories view.
Under “My Categories,” see your current favorites. Tap the star to unfavorite. Under “Suggested” or “Popular,” browse and tap the “+” icon next to categories you want to add to your main view (e.g., True Crime, Standup, Tech News).
Tap “Done”. Your newly added categories now appear in the main Categories list!
Smarter Search: The Search tab is now more personalized! It prominently features relevant categories from your collection (like the “Tech News” you just added) and shows content tailored to your interests.
Music & TV:
New “Remove” Glyph: Swipe left on a song in your Library or Playlist, or on a song in the Up Next queue. The “Remove” button (which used to be text or a trash can) is now a clean circle with a minus sign inside (-). Consistent and modern!
Natural Language Search (Apple Music & Apple TV App): This is cool. You can search like you talk!
In Apple Music, try searching for “hype EDM music“. Results won’t literally match those words, but Apple understands the *meaning* – it shows energetic Electronic Dance Music tracks.
Or search for “hype 90s music”. It correctly filters to show popular songs from the 1990s (even labeling them “Release Year: 199X”).
It works in the Apple TV app too! Search for something like “movies with kidnapping” and you’ll get relevant thriller results.
More Apple & iPhone Resources:
- Planning to upgrade or considering a new iPhone? Don’t miss our insights on the iPhone 16e: Apple’s New Budget Phone with Big Upgrades.
- If you’re transitioning from Android to an iPhone, learn How to Copy Contacts from Android to iPhone seamlessly.
- Looking for a compact device? Check out our guide to the Best Small Phone 2025: Our Top Compact Picks.