More than two weeks after releasing iOS 18.4 to the public, Apple published the first public beta of iOS 18.5 on April 15. Although all iPhones now have additional emoji thanks to that update, the most recent beta also includes bug fixes and certain modifications to the Mail applications for developers and public beta testers.

The iOS 18.5 public beta 1 download page
Continue reading: A Comprehensive Guide to iOS 18

I advise downloading this just on a device other than your main device since it’s a beta. The upgrade may be glitchy and affect battery life since this isn’t the final version of iOS 18.5, so it’s preferable to keep those issues on a backup device.

Keep in mind that the beta is not the final version of iOS 18.5, so when it is published, your iPhone may have more features. When Apple will make the iOS 18.5 upgrade available to the public is unknown.

Here are some things that could soon show up on your iPhone running iOS 18.5. Just a friendly reminder that all Apple Intelligence capabilities are now only available to developers and beta testers who own an iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max, or iPhone 16 model. You won’t be able to use those functions on any other iPhone.

Mail settings are changed in iOS 18.5.
An iPhone Mail menu with the option to display contact photos.
To make your inbox more organized, uncheck the “Show Contact Photos” box.
In the iOS 18.5 beta, Apple released a few minor tweaks to the Mail app. One of those upgrades allows you to display or conceal contact images in Mail, which simplifies the process of adjusting the app’s settings. The pictures to the left of emails in Mail are called contact photographs, and they aid in determining the sender’s identity.

With the iOS 18.5 beta, you may disable Contact Posters from within the app, however they will be shown by default in Mail. To do this, launch Mail, choose Show Contact Photos by tapping the three dots (…) in the upper-right corner of your screen. All of your emails will now just display the subject line and a synopsis of the message, much as Mail did before to iOS 18.

Although iOS 18.4 has this option, it’s hidden in Settings and difficult to find.

Categories are the subject of another modification. You may now see all of your mail from every category in one location if the mode is enabled. To do this, launch Mail, then press the new category All Mail after swiping the categories bar to the left toward the top of Mail.

This new category seems to be a means to enable List View, Mail’s pre-Categories view, and Categories at the same time. You may read your mails in List read without any category by selecting All Mail.

Mail on iOS 18.5 beta 1 has the All Mail option.

Is there anything else in the beta?

I’m not surprised, and I can’t tell. With Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference scheduled for June, iOS 18.5 is probably going to stay light so that the company can concentrate on iOS 19.

However, before iOS 18.5 is made available to the general public, there will probably be further betas, giving Apple plenty of opportunity to add or modify these features. When iOS 18.5 will be made available to the general public has not been disclosed by Apple.