The iOS 18.5 update is just around the corner, with new wallpaper, settings improvements, and ScreenTime security enhancements set to debut as soon as next week. Here’s what you need to know.
On Tuesday, a week after the fourth developer beta, Apple deployed the Release Candidate (RC) build of iOS 18.5.
While the update itself is relatively light in terms of new features, it does offer a few noteworthy enhancements and quality-of-life improvements. Specifically, Apple has updated the built-in Mail and Settings app, and the company has introduced support for carrier-based satellite features on the iPhone 13.
iPhone 13 range gets carrier-provided satellite functionality
In 2022, Apple introduced an iPhone feature known as Emergency SOS via Satellite, which is available thanks to the company’s partnership with Globalstar. It lets users in the US and Canada use satellites to call for help when outside wireless coverage, but only if they have an iPhone 14 or newer.
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The iPhone 13 range will gain carrier-supported satellite features with iOS 18.5
Emergency SOS via Satellite goes one stage further than providing a phone call to a dispatcher. As the name suggests, in the absence of a phone signal, compatible iPhones will establish a connection to a satellite and transmit messages that will get through to emergency services in as data-efficient a manner as possible.
The iOS 18.5 update aims to bring similar functionality to the iPhone 13 range, though with a substantial caveat. While the iPhone 14 line supports satellite features right out of the box, users of the iPhone 13 will only get access to satellite functionality if their carrier supports it. Only select service providers, such as T-Mobile, offer satellite features in the United States at the time of writing.
Aside from the new satellite-related features for the iPhone 13 range, Apple has included a few quality-of-life improvements for the built-in Mail and Settings applications with iOS 18.5.
Mail changes in the iOS 18.5 update
For instance, the built-in Mail application now has a new setting that lets users show or hide contact photos without opening the Settings app. Similarly, the option to disable the “Group by Sender” view was also added.
The Mail app will receive minor changes with iOS 18.5.
Though it was possible to access both of these options in previous releases of iOS, the iOS 18.5 update streamlines the process by letting users toggle contact photos directly from the Mail app. The same can be said for the “Group By Sender” in-app option.
These refinements serve to further improve the Mail app, which itself received a significant overhaul as part of the iOS 18 update. iOS 18.2 enabled on-device email categorization, powered by machine learning. Originally known under the project codename BlackPearl, the feature spent years in development before it finally reached the iPhone.
Email categorization took even longer to reach the Mac and iPad, as the platforms only received Apple’s email sorting feature with macOS Sequoia 15.4 and iPadOS 18.4, respectively.
Settings refinements in iOS 18.5
The Settings app received a minor change as well. Specifically, the AppleCare & Warranty section in Settings was updated with a new header, which provides additional information about the service and includes a hyperlink to the Apple website. Both of these changes were originally spotted in the first developer beta of iOS 18.5, which was released on April 2, 2025.
Apple has updated the Settings app on iPhone.
Apple updated the Settings app as a whole with iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia — individual options were shuffled around, and new descriptions were added. The new AppleCare & Warranty header aligns with previous changes, which were revealed before the operating systems debuted at WWDC 2024.
New Pride Harmony wallpaper
With iOS 18.5, Apple will make its 2025 Pride Wallpaper Collection available to the general public.
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The iOS 18.5 update features a new Pride Harmony wallpaper.
It’s an annual tradition for the iPhone maker, as the company releases a Pride Edition of Apple Watch bands, watch faces, and wallpapers in early May, to champion LGBTQ+ equality. Rainbow stripes filter throughout the design of all elements in the collection, and the wallpapers shift depending on how users move and unlock their devices.
The company’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights and diversity has remained constant over the years, and CEO Tim Cook is openly gay. Apple has also routinely financially supported organizations serving LGBTQ+ communities, with sales of its Apple Watch Pride Edition Sport Band helping towards those efforts.
Other changes in iOS 18.5
The iOS 18.5 update also includes an improvement for the Screen Time feature, which lets parents supervise and limit their child’s iPhone usage.
The iOS 18.5 update includes a change related to the Screen Time feature.
Specifically, Apple has improved the security of Screen Time, as parents are now notified whenever their passcode is successfully entered on a child’s device. This makes it much more difficult for children to shoulder-surf to get the paassword, and then disable or adjust Screen Time settings, as parents will be aware that their passcode was used.
Aside from the Screen Time improvement, iOS 18.5 fixes a minor issue with the Apple Vision Pro app, which would occasionally display a black screen. The application itself was introduced with iOS 18.4. There’s also a new “Buy with iPhone” option, which is available when purchasing content in the Apple TV app on a third-party device.
Apple’s release notes state that the iOS 18.5 update features security improvements as well, though it’s not yet clear which vulnerabilities were patched. The company deployed a release candidate build of iPadOS 17.7.7 alongside the iOS 18.5 RC version, meaning that there’s at least one major fix across the board.
The company will most likely disclose the exact issues resolved once iOS 18.5 receives its full public release. Apple has already said that the Pride desktops will come with iOS 18.5 the week of May 13th, so we’re expecting it as soon as Monday.
Find any changes in the iOS 18.5 RC? Reach out to us on Twitter at @AppleInsider or @MarkozNewz, or send Marko an email at marko@AppleInsider.com.
This story originally appeared on Appleinsider
