What’s New In iOS 12?

One of the rumors leading up to WWDC 2018 is that instead of introducing visual overhauls and changes and a ton of brand new features to the iOS platform, Apple would instead choose to focus on improving the overall quality of iOS. This is due to the numerous bugs and problems that arose in iOS 11 which many users weren’t too thrilled about, leading some to question Apple’s attention to detail and quality.

That being said, this doesn’t mean that there’s nothing new in iOS 12 and this is something that we’ll be taking a look at.

Improvements In Performance

There are probably still plenty of users out there who are using older iPhones, which means that these users might be reluctant to upgrade to newer iOS builds out of concern that it might end up slowing their phones down. According to Apple, this will not be the case.

Apple is boasting that if anything, iOS 12 is expected to improve performance on older devices where they claim that apps such as the Camera will launch up to 70% faster, the keyboard will be 50% faster with more responsive typing, and apps will launch twice as fast. It’s a bit hard to quantify at this point in time so we’ll have to wait for its release in order to get a better idea, but on paper it sounds promising.

Group FaceTime Calls

Apple has also introduced the ability to make group FaceTime calls. Previously FaceTime calls were limited to just one-on-one, but iOS 12 is expected to facilitate group FaceTime calls with up to a whopping 32 people at once. This can admittedly can confusing but according to Apple, the tile of the person speaking at the moment will be larger automatically, so users can keep track of who’s talking.

Improvements To Siri

While Siri might have been the first digital assistant to be launched on smartphones, other assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant have been gaining a lot more attention. However iOS 12 is expected to introduce some improvements to Siri, one of which is a new app called Siri Shortcuts.

This will be similar in concept to the Google Home Routines where users can group together a series of actions that can be executed with either a tap on the app or with a customized voice command. Apple will also be releasing a new Shortcuts API for developers to take advantage of if they wish.

Searching In Photos

The Photos app on iOS 12 has typically been a very straightforward app that houses the photos taken by your camera and also images received from your contacts. However iOS 12 will bring an enhanced experience, such as the introduction of a new “For You” tab that will show your favorite moments in one place that combines photos from Memories and iCloud Shared Albums.

There will also be improvements to the Search feature which will offer users suggestions based on relevant Events, People, Places, Groups, Categories, and more.

ARKit 2

Apple’s interest in augmented reality (AR) is not a secret and with iOS 12, Apple will be introducing ARKit 2, an improvement over its predecessor which according to Apple, will allow developers to create shared experiences. One of those experiences will allow users to play the same AR game together while looking at the same landscape while on separate devices, a feature that we had heard about ahead of WWDC.

New Animojis

Some of the other changes and new features that Apple has introduced in iOS 12 include new Animoji options which introduces the koala, tiger, ghost, and T. rex. There will also be a tongue detection feature that will make the Animoji more expressive. Also Apple is introducing a way for users to make custom Animojis called a Memoji that are basically avatars that you can customize to look like you.

These are just some of the changes that Apple will be bringing to iOS 12. There are probably a ton of other changes and improvements that we will discover over time but these are just some of what Apple announced at WWDC 2018. No specific release date has been set yet save for a rough timeframe in the fall where it will most likely be released alongside the new iPhones.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple, Cellphones
Tags: Editorspick, iOS, iOS 12, wwdc, wwdc 2018