Before Apple Launches iOS 26 This Fall, Here's What's in iOS 18.5
You can download iOS 18.5 by going to Settings > General > Software Update, then tapping Update Now and following the prompts on your screen.
Here's what iOS 18.5 brings to your iPhone. Just a reminder, only people with an iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max or the iPhone 16 lineup can access Apple Intelligence for now. If you have any other iPhone, you won't have access to those features. You can also check out what other iOS 18 updates brought to your iPhone.
New Pride wallpaper
Apple releases a new Pride wallpaper ahead of Pride Month every year, and this year is no different. iOS 18.5 includes the latest iteration of the wallpaper, Pride Harmony, which features bold stripes that shift and change position as you move.
The latest iOS update includes a new Pride wallpaper, left, next to wallpapers from previous years.
Apple/Screenshot by CNET
iOS 18.5 tweaks Mail options
Uncheck the "Show Contact Photos" option to streamline your inbox.
Apple/Screenshot by CNET
Apple introduced a few Mail app updates in iOS 18.5. One of those updates makes it easier to adjust the app's settings by showing or hiding contact photos in Mail. Contact photos are the images to the left of emails that help identify senders.
Mail will show Contact Posters by default, but you can turn them off from within the app with iOS 18.5. To do so, open Mail, tap the three dots (...) in the top-right corner of your screen, and then tap Show Contact Photos. Now, all your emails will just show the subject line and a preview of the message, similar to how Mail looked before iOS 18.
This option is in iOS 18.4, but it's buried in Settings and not easy to locate.
Another update concerns Categories. If the mode is enabled, you can see a small tab on the right side of your screen near the other categories. Swipe the categories bar near the top of Mail to the left, and this small tab will expand to reveal the category All Mail. When you swipe left to view All Mail, it will automatically be selected, and you'll need to tap one of the other Categories to unselect All Mail.
This category isn't new; you could find it in iOS 18.4. But, there was no small tab on the right side of your screen to signal it was present off-screen. Therefore, All Mail flew under the radar -- I didn't even know the option was there until beta versions of iOS 18.5.
This category appears to be a way to simultaneously enable Categories and List View -- the pre-Categories view of Mail. When you use All Mail, you're viewing your messages without any categorization, like in List View.
Apple/Screenshot by CNET
Satellite features for all iPhone 13 models
Apple's iOS 18.5 also brings certain satellite features, like messaging, to the iPhone 13 lineup. That means if you go off the grid, you could still text people to let them know where you are. However, these features on iPhone 13 models are carrier-dependent, and currently only T-Mobile offers them in the US via Starlink.
T-Mobile Starlink is in beta, and the beta is free and open to anyone until July, including people on other carrier plans. After July, it will be part of the T-Mobile Experience Beyond and Go5G Next plans. People with other carriers, like Verizon and AT&T, will then be able to access the system for $10 a month.
Back Tap banner
The iOS 18.5 update also introduces the option to display a banner using the Back Tap function. Back Tap turns the Apple logo on the back of your iPhone into a usable button that can open your camera, take a screenshot and more when you double- or triple-tap it. And with iOS 18.5, you can make your iPhone display a banner whenever you use Back Tap.
To enable the banner, go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap and tap the toggle next to Show Banner. If you enable the banner and use Back Tap, the banner will appear across the top of your screen and read, "Back Tap Double/Triple Tap detected."
Apple/Screenshot by CNET
iOS 18.5 release notes
Here are the full release notes for iOS 18.5.
This update also includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:
A new Pride Harmony wallpaper.
Parents now receive a notification when the Screen Time passcode is used on a child's device.
Buy with iPhone is available when purchasing content within the Apple TV app on a third-party device.
Fixes an issue where the Apple Vision Pro app may display a black screen.
Support for carrier-provided satellite features is available on iPhone 13 (all models). For more information, visit:
https://support.apple.com/122339.
Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit:
https://support.apple.com/100100
For more on iOS 18, here's all the new iPhone features included in iOS 18.4 and iOS 18.3. You can also check out our iOS 18 cheat sheet and my thoughts on the iOS 26 beta.
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