6 settings you should 'immediately' change on your iPhone after installing iOS 18.5

Each version of iOS brings a batch of new features, security patches and, if we're lucky, some game-changing tools.

In iOS 18.5, iPhone users welcomed a redesigned Photos and Mail app, an underrated flight tracking hack and overlooked privacy updates.

But there are a few settings you might not have thought to change that could make your user experience a little smoother.

Here are six settings you should change after installing iOS 18.5.

1. Update your apps

Some apps are ready to take full advantage of the latest features, but only if they’re updated.

To stay on top of it, open the App Store, tap your profile image in the top right, and swipe down the screen to refresh it.

Hit Update All to update your apps in the background and you're good to go.

2. Turn on (or off) contact photos in Mail

Since iOS 18.2, the Apple Mail app shows profile pics next to emails to help users identify senders more easily.

Try out Back Tap's new notification banner. (Kinga Krzeminska/Getty)

You might not know, but contact photos take up space that could otherwise be used to display more of the message itself.

However, with iOS 18.5, turning this on or off is easier than ever. Simply open Mail, tap the three-dot icon at the top right and toggle the 'Show Contact Photos' option to your preferences.

3. View All Mail with categories enabled

iOS 18.2 also brought mail categories like Primary, Updates and Promotions to help declutter users' inboxes.

But for those who doesn't like their mail forced into folders, iOS 18.5 All Mail made this change easier.

To see all your emails in one place, swipe left on the Category bar, where you will find All Mail - et voila!

4. Try out Back Tap

By tapping the back of your iPhone two or three times, Back Tap can bring up the Control Center or take a screenshot, depending on your preferences.

Before iOS 18.5, it was a little confusing to know how many times you tapped the phone, but iOS 18.5 now displays a banner message showing just that.

To try it out, head to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap.

Here, you can input entries for both Double Tap and Triple Tap and also turn the switch for Show Banner on or off.

Charging your phone to 100% can damage you iPhone in the long run. (Kinga Krzeminska/Getty)

5. Adjust your battery charge limit

iOS updates sometimes drain your battery a bit harder at first. If you're trying to protect your battery long-term, limiting the charge to a lower maximum number can help.

To do it, head to Settings > Battery > Charging.

Slide the bar to somewhere between 80% and 90%. Alternatively, you can keep the slider at 100% and activate 'Optimized Battery Charging' which holds your battery at 80% until you need a full charge.

6. Check out Apple's new Pride Harmony wallpaper

Ahead of Pride month, the tech giant dropped a new LGBTQ+ wallpaper in iOS 18.5 for the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch face. The new wallpaper colours change position as users move, lock or unlock their device.

To add it, press and hold your Lock screen. Tap Customise and then Add New, swipe down until you see the Pride section and tap Harmony. Users can also select 'Set as Wallpaper Pair' to apply it to both Lock and Home screens.