iOS 18 Beta Developer Beta 3 Introduces Automatic Dark Icon Theming for Third-Party Apps

Apple showcased iOS 18 – its next operating system update for the iPhone – at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024 on June 10. Since then, the Cupertino-based tech giant has rolled out several iterations of the iOS 18 beta to developers, comprising new features, system enhancements and bug fixes. Building upon the previous developer beta update, Apple released the iOS 18 Developer Beta 3 update for iPhone on Monday and it is reported to bring Dark Mode icons for third-party apps, a larger flashlight interface and other features.

iOS 18 Developer Beta 3 Brings Automatic Dark Icon Theming 

The visual change was spotted by MacRumors on iOS 18 Developer Beta 3, and users who have updated to the latest version with build number 22A5307F should be able to see the automatic Dark Mode theming support for third-party app icons.

Apple showcased new home screen customisation options at WWDC 2024 last month, including the ability to add a colour tint to icons, or enable a dark theme for app icons.

The icons which have a white background can now be switched to black, and Apple's release notes state that the update resolves some bugs related to the same automatic dark theme for icons.

In addition to the new icons, the iOS 18 Developer Beta 3 update also brings emoji, Memoji, and stickers together in a single, scrollable interface on Apple's iPhone operating system. In the Photos app, a Select option now appears at the top-right corner of the screen by default, instead of having to swipe down to access it.

Other features spotted on the latest iOS 18 beta version include more options in the interface for RCS texts in the Messages app, a larger interface for the flashlight feature, and dynamic versions of Apple's iOS 18 wallpapers, as well as tweaked colours for the Apple Maps icon.

The publication also spotted iOS 18 Developer Beta 3 code that also hints at some features of Apple Intelligence – the iPhone maker's upcoming suite of artificial intelligence (AI) features. It is claimed to have references to Genmoji, Image Playground, Image Wand, and Writing Tools. Notably, Apple showcased AI features during its WWDC keynote but their arrival isn't due until next year, despite the rollout of iOS 18 slated in the coming months following the launch of the iPhone 16 series in September.