While the introduction of the calculator in iPadOS 18 at WWDC might have stolen the show from other updates on the platform, it’s safe to say that Apple didn’t give up on implementing such a much-needed improvement on the calculator app on iOS 18.
Okay, I will post two screenshots; it’s your job to figure out which one is iOS 17 and which is iOS 18.
![](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/iOS18-473x1024.png)
![](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/iOS17-473x1024.png)
Can’t figure it out? It makes sense; there doesn’t seem to be a massive change, right? Let me make some changes and see if you can figure it out now. Here is another pair of screenshots.
Now, the change should be visible. It’s the much-needed backspace key.
Earlier, one had to click on the C (clear) button to clear things up, but this isn’t the issue; the issue is that it’d clear off all the numbers on the screen and reset everything to 0.
However, there has always been an alternative to the backspace key; many people just didn’t know it. It was swiping the screen from left to right, which would delete the last typed-in number, doing exactly what a backspace key would do.
I noticed another new feature in the screenshot: the ability to type in the equation in the calculator.
Earlier, whenever you typed in a number followed by an arithmetic operator (+—/*), the screen wouldn’t change, which means the first part of the equations had been noted and saved. However, the issue was that it didn’t give a visual representation of the equation, and one would have to remember what operator they put in.
What’s your take on these new changes in iOS 18 calculator app?
WHEN is Apple gonna build a decent tip calculator?
I used to have a fairly good one but it stopped working a few years ago. The only options now are kludgy and poorly designed.
It’s such a simple thing that is sorely needed — and could easily be incorporated into their new calculator.