Apple has just announced the iOS 12 software update for iPhone and iPad at the WWDC keynote event and boy are we excited!
Performance First
Right at the start, Apple’s senior VP of software engineering, Craig Federighi, clarified the crux of this year’s update by saying, “With iOS 12, we’re doubling down on performance.”
Those hoping for a complete redesign are in for major heartbreaks as virtually, iOS 12 looks similar to iOS 11. But, we feel, focusing on enhancing the performance and security of previous year’s iOS isn’t really a bad thing. In fact, an upgrade, not revamp, is just what iOS needed.
Another good outcome of iOS 12 being an incremental upgrade is that it is compatible with all the iPhone and iPad models that supported iOS 11. In fact, Apple noted that they have put in extra effort to ensure that iOS 12 runs better than iOS 11 on older devices. So not only will iPhone 5S get the new update this year, it will run better as well.
Focus on performance boost doesn’t mean Apple hasn’t added any new features in iOS 12. There are quite a few interesting ones. Here they are:
Group Notifications
Okay, people. Let’s be honest! We love Apple but notification on iOS suck. Bigtime! But, like our knight in shining armour, Apple has finally added group notifications from the same app in the notifications centre. An added bonus? Apple will let you “tune” notifications without having to go to every app in your settings.
Siri Shortcuts
Siri’s shiny new Shortcuts feature allows the user to create custom commands for the AI. All you have to do is create a voice prompt to ask Siri to do the task. For example, if you choose the phrase ‘travel time’, Siri will open all the associated details like flight timings, hotel bookings etc. associated with the shortcut.
Messages
Animoji: For iPhone X users, iOS 12 adds four new Animoji which include a friendly ghost, a koala, a tiger and a T-rex, all of which support tongue detection, so you can… well, stick your tongue out.
Memoji: Now, you may think Animoji are cool, but we have something even cooler and a lot more personal. There’s … wait for it … Memojij. Yup, that’s what they are really called. Not even remotely self-obsessive right? They are basically Animoji of yourself. Or your personal animated avatars, if you like.
FaceTime
Okay, people! This is big! Apple Facetime will now support group FaceTime calls between up to 32 (and nope, that’s not a typo) users at once and it’ll be accessible right within Messages. Plus, it supports Animoji and filters. Still, think Animoji is lame?
Photos
Although there is no significant change in the Photos app, it got two noteworthy updates in the search and share departments. You get a more intuitive and deeper level search options for your photos with a couple of new tabs for easy access. Sharing is also simplified and more intuitive than before.
Augmented Reality (AR)
Apple has shown quite the dedication and commitment towards the virtual platform since the last couple of years. And with the iOS 12, Apple added support for a new AR file format called USDZ. And then there’s ARKit 2, which allows support for multi-users, meaning, up to four people can use their iOS devices to interact with AR apps that occupy the same physical space.
Usage Control
While it wasn’t a fancy feature, we think usage control features were among the key additions to iOS 12.
Do Not Disturb: You can now set a customised Do Not Disturb mode during bedtime, which allows you to access the lock screen but hides all the notifications that disturb your sleep.
Screen Time: iOS 12 also brings a control panel to monitor the usage of your iPhone and even helps you set alerts for spending time on particular apps. Parents can also set usage limits for their kids.
This was our quick summary of all the key features of iOS 12. We’ll be covering most of these in depth in the coming days.
As a first impression, we believe iOS 12 is just the update that was needed. It has the right mix of performance updates with enough new features to distinguish itself from its predecessor.
What about you? Are you impressed with iOS 12 or it fell short of your expectations? Let us know in the comments section below.
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