14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has announced the next major release of its iOS mobile operating system for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices, iOS 12, during the live keynote of its WWDC 2018 developer conference.
Coming this fall by default on new iPhone and iPad devices, which Apple is expected to announce in September, iOS 12 brings lots of new features and enhancements among which we can mention performance improvements to make devices faster and more responsive and optimizing the system under heavy workloads.
Also new in iOS 12 is a new default app called "Measure," which helps users measure all sort of things and objects around them. The Measure app uses the iPhone or iPad camera and outputs exact measurements of objects you want to measure in various popular units.
Along with iOS 12, Apple also launched ARKit 2 for developers who want to create new augmented reality (AR) experiences on future versions of iOS, starting with iOS 12. ARKit 2 brings improves face tracking, realistic rendering, 3D object detection, as well as persistent and shared experiences.
Photos gets search suggestions, Siri received new Shortcuts feature and app
The Photos app in iOS 12 received improved search capabilities with search suggestions, search refinements, support for searching places, effects suggestions, shared album activity, people suggestions, and sharing suggestions in a new For You section similar to that of the Apple Music app.
Siri on iOS got a new feature called Shortcuts, which lets the voice assistant tap into your installed applications when you ask it certain questions. The Siri Shortcuts feature offers infinite possibilities, and it allows users to create their own "shortcuts" with a new default iOS app called "Shortcuts," which works on iPhone and iPad.
Stocks app redesigned, iBooks becomes Apple Books, CarPlay supports 3rd party navigation apps
The News app received a new sidebar so you can easily find your favorite subscriptions. The Stocks app received a total revamp and integration with the Apple News app so you can see the latest stock related news. The Stocks app is also now available for the iPad.
The Voice Memos app also receive support for storing your memos in your iCloud account and the iBooks app has been renamed to Apple Books and has a brand-new interface and a stunning new store. Last but not least, the CarPlay app now supports third-party navigation apps.
Grouped notifications, memoji, screen time and app limits
iOS 12 introduces support for grouped notifications allowing users will be able to sort notifications by various criteria. To fight iPhone/iPad addiction among children, Apple adds app limited in iOS 12 to limit access to only the content parents think it's appropriate for their child. Also, iOS 12 will tell you how much time you spent in front of your screen and which apps you're using more.
"In iOS 12, we’re offering our users detailed information and tools to help them better understand and control the time they spend with apps and websites, how often they pick up their iPhone or iPad during the day and how they receive notifications," said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering.
Another interesting feature coming to iOS 12 is Memoji, the next-generation, custom Animoji that every iPhone X user will be able to create. Also, the FaceTime app now supports grouped chat, allowing up to 32 people to join in a chat, and the Do Not Disturb functionality will help users get a better night’s sleep.
iOS 12 Developer Preview coming soon, Public Beta arrives later this month
Apple is expected to release the first iOS 12 Developer beta later today, once the live keynote ends, along with the first macOS 10.14, tvOS 12, and watchOS 5 betas. Registered iOS developers with a paid and active Apple Developer account will be able to download the first iOS 12 beta on their devices.
On the other hand, public beta testers will be able to install the first iOS 12 Public beta release on their devices sometime at the end of the month when Apple is expected to release the first public beta versions of its upcoming iOS 12, macOS 10.14, tvOS 12, and watchOS 5 operating systems. iOS 12 will be supported on all devices supported by iOS 11.
