Apple just released the first beta of iOS 20 to developers, and I couldn’t resist installing it on my daily driver—risky, I know. After three days of testing, I can tell you what’s genuinely useful and what’s just fluff. Spoiler: the new Lock Screen widgets are a game-changer, but not everything is rosy.
1. Lock Screen Widget Stacks
This is the biggest change. You can now stack multiple widgets on the Lock Screen, like on the Apple Watch. I have Weather, Calendar, and Activity stacked together. Swiping through them is buttery smooth. It’s a small change, but it makes the Lock Screen actually useful. I no longer need to unlock my phone to check the weather. Battery drain is minimal, surprisingly.
2. AI-Powered Notification Summaries
Apple’s AI is finally making a splash. The new notification summaries group similar notifications and generate a one-sentence summary. For example, instead of 15 Slack messages, I see “3 threads updated in #design.” It’s eerily accurate. But it’s still buggy—sometimes it misses context. I got a summary that said “Meeting postponed,” but it didn’t tell me which meeting. Still, it’s a step in the right direction.
3. Revamped Control Center
Control Center got a visual overhaul. It’s now customizable with live widgets. I added a music equalizer and a quick toggle for my VPN. It feels more like Android’s quick settings, but in a good way. However, some toggles are too small to tap accurately. I keep hitting the flashlight instead of the Wi-Fi icon. Apple needs to fix the hit zones.
4. On-Device AI Photo Editing
The Photos app now has AI editing tools that run on-device. You can remove objects from photos, adjust lighting, and even change the background. I tested the object removal on a photo of my messy desk, and it worked flawlessly—no cloud processing needed. Privacy win. But it’s slow on older iPhones. My iPhone 16 Pro handled it fine, but my friend’s iPhone 14 Pro struggled.
5. Live Call Transcripts
This is a killer feature for accessibility. During a call, you can see a live transcript of what the other person is saying. It works for both regular calls and FaceTime. I tried it with a client call on Friday, and it was surprisingly accurate—even with accents. The transcript is saved to Notes afterward. This will be huge for people with hearing impairments and for anyone who needs to remember important details from calls.
The Bugs You Should Know
It’s a beta, so bugs are expected. The biggest one? Some third-party apps crash randomly. Instagram and TikTok are unusable right now. Also, battery life is worse—I’m losing about 20% more per day. And the new keyboard haptic feedback feels off; it’s either too weak or too strong with no middle ground. If you rely on your phone for work, wait for the public beta in July.
Overall, iOS 20 is shaping up to be a solid upgrade. The Lock Screen stacks and live call transcripts are worth the update alone. Just don’t install the beta on your main phone unless you’re okay with bugs. I’m keeping it because I’m curious, but I’ve already warned my friends to wait.
