What’s new in Apple iOS 12

Apple has launched its latest software update: iOS 12. The updated operating system is designed so apps will open faster, scrolling is smoother, and crashes are fewer, providing up to 70% faster swipe to Camera, up to 50% faster keyboard display and up to 2x faster app launch under heavy workload.

What’s new?

Siri

Siri has been updated to provide Shortcuts that match your day, whether that’s your morning playlist, directions to today’s meeting or your home ETA. You’ll be able to view Siri shortcuts straight from the Lock screen and run shortcuts with your voice or create your own with the Shortcuts app.

Conference capabilities

Apple is soon to introduce group FaceTime calls up to 32 users. The new video and audio support for large groups is currently running in Apples iOS 12.1 beta programme and once released will allow you to initiate a group FaceTime directly from a group thread in Messages or join an active FaceTime at any time.

Memoji & Animoji

Currently supported by the iPhone X, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, Apple has updated the previous ‘Animoji’ to provide a new type of animated ‘Memoji’. Memoji allows you to create a human character and works with the front-facing camera to bring your character to life. The camera picks up your expressions allowing you to record 30-second video clips of your Memoji talking and send it in a conversation, as you would with the previous Animojis.

Improved AR

The introduction of ‘ARKit 2’ allows developers to create more immersive AR experiences, including ones that multiple people can experience simultaneously. You’ll be able to send AR objects via Messages and Mail and take advantage of a new AR app, ‘Measure’, providing an AR tape measure for you to accurately measure real-world objects with.

Screen time

iOS 12 allows you to view how often you’re picking up your device, how many notifications you receive, and how much time you spend using various apps. Allowing you to gain a better understanding of how you, your employees or your children spend time using apps, visiting websites and on your device overall.  

Notification management

Just as Screen Time gives you more insight into how you use your devices, Instant Tuning gives you new ways to reduce interruptions throughout your day. You’ll be able to manage your notifications in real-time from the Lock screen, notifications from a specific app to Notification Centre, or turn them off altogether. Siri also makes intelligent suggestions about your alerts based on how you interact with them. Similarly to Blackberry’s Hub, message threads and notification topics in iOS 12 are now grouped together so you can easily and quickly view your notifications. Better yet, Do Not Disturb has been updated so that you can choose to turn it on for your afternoon meeting and it will automatically turn off once your event ends or you move location.

Security

In iOS 12, Safari now prevents Share buttons and comment widgets on web pages from tracking you without your permission. Safari also prevents advertisers from collecting your device’s unique characteristics, so they can’t identify your device or re-target ads to you across the web.

Photos

The For You tab shows you great moments from your photo library and intelligently suggests sharing photos with the people in them. And if the recipients are using iOS 12, they’ll be prompted to share their photos from the event with you too. Search suggestions help you find the exact photo you’re looking for or rediscover a great one you had forgotten about. Even before you start typing, you’ll see suggestions for recent events, people and places. And as you type, the results are smarter and more powerful, and you can refine them by adding multiple keywords.