Subj : Apple secretly gave the iPhones flashlight a major upgrade with i To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Tue Jul 16 2024 05:15:05 Apple secretly gave the iPhones flashlight a major upgrade with iOS 18 and its super helpful Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2024 04:00:22 +0000 Description: Apple has quietly given the iPhone's flashlight a neat upgrade in iOS 18 and you can take it for a spin in the iOS 18 Public Beta. FULL STORY ====================================================================== While Apple did unveil a redesigned, customizable Control Center as part of iOS 18 , the technology giant didnt formally announce a significant upgrade for the iPhones flashlight. Well, the latter has now landed in the iOS 18 Public Beta that's available to try now. For some time, weve been able to adjust the brightness of the iPhones flashlight from zero to four, but with iOS 18, Apples giving us a bit more control within a fun user interface. Essentially, you can now more minutely control the brightness of the flash and the focus (aka the angle). Ive been using it since the first developer beta of iOS 18 shipped shortly after Apples WWDC 2024 keynote . Folks willing to give the Public Beta of iOS 18 a go can do so now, as thats also shipping as of July 14, 2024. Apple clearly had some fun making this feature (Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol) Now, when you turn on the flashlight on any modern iPhone say an iPhone 15 Pro Max , like Ive been using youll see a window overlayed on top. Within that window, youll find an illuminated flashlight, and its glow is shown above. The magic happens when you drag your finger to the left or right. You can control the focus or angle, and top to bottom lets you adjust the brightness. So, whether youre trying to illuminate a darker space or maybe provide light for a photoshoot, you have greater control over the luminance. If youre keen to make further adjustments, you can long-press on that smaller flashlight icon on an iPhone with a Dynamic Island to bring up full control. Its been quite responsive in my testing, and this functionality is also made possible by the True Tone Flash on the back of the iPhone. In terms of control, you can adjust both the focus and the brightness at once by sliding your finger from top to bottom and left to right or vice versa, in any direction to see it both render with the on-screen animation and the actual glow emitting from your iPhone. (Image credit: Future) One could argue that Apple gamified the flashlight experience, as it is fun to use, actually helpful, and an excellent party trick. Ive demoed it to a few of my friends, and theyve been impressed. Its also neat to see that Apple is delivering further control and enhancing the experience of a relatively mundane iPhone feature. Apples iOS 18 will officially drop for all eligible devices this fall, but if you want to try out the new flashlight or more headlining features, you can opt-in and install the iOS 18 Public Beta now. Of course, as its a beta, it is a preview of the final release, and you can expect some bugs along the way and potentially a reduction in battery life. Furthermore, if youre looking to try out Apple Intelligence features, those are not yet included in the iOS 18 Public Beta or even the Developer Beta. Still, you get other anticipated features like the redesigned Photos app, a new reader in Safari, and text effects in iMessage, among others. You Might Also Like I've covered Prime Day for six years - here's everything I'm buying at ... ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/software/apple-secretly-gave-the-iphones-f lashlight-a-major-upgrade-with-ios-18-and-its-super-helpful --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .