Apple released the first public beta for iOS 18 on July 15, a little more than a month after the tech giant announced the software at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June.
Apple said that the update would bring many new features to your iPhone, including the ability to lock and hide certain apps on your iPhone and more ways to customize your lock screen and Control Center. And one feature that lets you fully customize these features is a control called Open App.
Read more: Everything to Know About iOS 18's Public Beta
We recommend downloading a beta only on something other than your primary device. Because this isn't the final version of iOS 18, the update might be buggy and battery life may be short, and it's best to keep those troubles on a secondary device.
Since the beta is not the final version of iOS 18, there could be more features to land on your iPhone when iOS 18 is released. Apple said iOS 18 would be released to the public this fall, but there's no definitive date yet.
Here's what you need to know about Open App and how to access it.
What is Open App?
Open App is a prebuilt Shortcut that lets you open any app. It lets you create new controls for your Control Center and lock screen that aren't included in the Controls library. That means you can create a control to launch your favorite game, social media platform or other app from your lock screen or from your Control Center.
How to use Open App for your lock screen
You could remove your lock screen controls, or you can put your favorite game there, like Hello Kitty Island Adventure.
Apple/Screenshot by CNET
1.
Open
Settings.
2.
Tap
Wallpaper.
3.
Tap
the
screen
you'd
like
to
customize
--
your
lock
screen
is
always
on
the
left.
4.
Tap
the
minus
(-)
sign
next
to
the
control
you
want
to
remove
across
the
bottom
of
your
screen
--
you
can
only
replace
these
two
controls,
you
can't
add
more.
5.
Tap
the
plus
(+)
sign
in
the
newly
open
space.
6.
Tap
Open
App.
7.
Tap
Choose
in
the
Shortcut
menu.
8.
Tap
the
app
you
want
to
create
a
Shortcut
for.
9.
Tap
a
space
around
the
Shortcut
menu.
10.
Tap
Done
in
the
top
right
corner
of
your
screen.
Now you can access whatever app you want from your lock screen once you input your FaceID or passcode. So if you get a lot of emails sent to your phone for work or otherwise, you can go right to your Mail app from your lock screen without getting distracted by another app.
How to use Open App in your Control Center
1.
Swipe
down
from
the
top
right
corner
of
your
iPhone
to
open
your
Control
Center.
2.
Tap
the
plus
(+)
symbol
in
the
top
left
corner
of
your
screen.
3.
Tap
Add
a
Control
across
the
bottom
of
your
screen.
4.
Tap
Open
App.
You
can
find
it
under
Shortcuts
or
search
for
it
in
the
search
bar
at
the
top
of
your
screen.
5.
Tap
Choose
in
the
Shortcut
menu.
6.
Tap
the
app
you
want
to
create
a
control
for.
7.
Tap
a
space
around
the
Shortcut
menu.
8.
Press
and
hold
the
new
control
to
move
it
where
you
want
it.
9.
Tap
a
blank
space
in
your
Control
Center
or
lock
your
screen
to
finish.
Now, instead of swiping and searching through your phone for NBA 2K24 Arcade Edition, you can find it quickly in your Control Center.
For more on iOS 18, here's my hands-on experience with the first public beta, how to get rid of your flashlight from your lock screen and how to customize your home screen.
Watch this: iOS 18 Hands-On: Exploring the Big Design Changes