iOS 18.5 will soon deliver a handy Screen Time upgrade for parents – plus 4 other useful features

13 hours ago 4

(Image credit: Shutterstock / QubixStudio)

Screen Time is set to gain new parental controls in iOS 18.5
Other changes include tweaks to Mail, Settings, and more
iOS 18.5 is expected to launch as soon as next week

Apple is on the brink of releasing the iOS 18.5 update, and it’ll come with a bunch of useful new features that could enhance all the best iPhones when it arrives. And judging by Apple’s release notes for the update, there’s a particularly useful change coming to Screen Time.

According to Apple, parents will soon be notified when their Screen Time passcode has been successfully entered into a child’s device. That should immediately let parents know that their offspring have found a way past the restrictions on their device.

Screen Time can be used to limit how long a person spends in a specified app, block inappropriate content, and confine device access to predefined times. If a child finds a way around these restrictions, they might be able to change or disable them.

Parents will also be able to get similar notifications in macOS once they’ve installed the macOS 15.5 update. The release candidate builds of both iOS 18.5 and macOS 15.5 were released yesterday, with the full versions expected to be launched next week.

More changes coming to iOS 18.5

The Mail app running on iOS, with categories shown on-screen.

Improved parental controls are not the only changes coming to Apple’s next operating system updates. There are minor tweaks like Apple bundling a new Pride Harmony wallpaper to support LGBT rights, but some wider changes are coming too.

The Mail app now has options to show or hide contact photos in your inbox, while you can also disable the Group by Sender view. In the Settings app, meanwhile, it’s now easier to view your AppleCare+ information and find out more about the service. These updates were previously spotted in the iOS 18.5 beta in early April.

The changes aren’t just focused on the latest iPhones. Users of the iPhone 13 will also benefit, with carrier-provided satellite services available to all models in the iPhone 13 range. That doesn’t refer to Apple’s own satellite services – like Emergency SOS via Satellite – but rather those provided by carriers, such as T-Mobile’s collaboration with Starlink.

With iOS 18.5 on the brink of launching to the public, it won’t be long until everyone will be able to try out these new features. That should set us up nicely for Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, where iOS 19 is expected to be unveiled to the world.

Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he's learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That's all his brain can hold. As well as TechRadar, Alex writes for iMore, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at MacFormat magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.

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