The latest software update for iPhones and iPads was released this year, on 17th of September, following the iPhone XS launch event. We’ll take a look at the most recent operating system from Apple, iOS 12, in order to see how different its features, interface, ease of use and performance are from the previous OS.
Augmented reality in iOS 12
If you are interested in AR, then iOS 12 should definitely suit you better than the previous operating system. A new file format, named USDZ, allows designers and developers to generate their own AR experiences, which can be easily shared. More than that, the News app is now featuring AR content. Also, thanks to the newly updated ARKit 2, you can take measurements of a real-world object by simply using your iPhone’s camera and a new app called Measure. Shared experiences are also made possible through ARKit, which means that while playing an AR game, several players from different iPads can observe the gameplay from their own perspective.
Differences when it comes to performance
Compared to iOS 11, Apple’s newest software is meant to run faster and better. The performance of the processor is supposed to be increased only when the device needs it, while being decreased in the remaining time, so that the life of the battery will be preserved. According to the tech giant, this is especially true for older phones.
What about the Photos app?
From what we’ve seen, the Photos app in iOS 12 has more categories than in iOS 11, so it should have a bigger success than before. Here are the things that iPhones running the new operating system offer: playgrounds, cars, babies, forests, aquariums, lakes, sport and stadiums. So you can clearly see that Photos is getting a little bit smarter in iOS 12. Something else that is different in iOS 12 is that your iPhone can now, in fact, suggest you whom you should share your pictures with.
FaceTime – the exciting feature that gives us group video calls
The long-awaited feature that allows people to engage in group video calls is finally here. Any user can now video chat with as many as 31 other people at the exact same moment, which is pretty cool. This is a great new option and there were many people requesting it before, so the fact that Apple has finally brought this to its users along with the release of iOS 12 is great. There is, however, one thing that doesn’t necessarily look good when using this feature – the way the tiles move around on the screen, while changing their sizes at the same time as users speak. Hopefully this will be improved in the future.
What’s new about Siri
Even though Siri in iOS 11 is not that bad, the improved Siri in iOS 12 has a new feature that is pretty interesting. On some occasions, the shortcuts that are normally created by voice will be generated by third-party apps and you even have the option to create your own shortcuts.
Animoji in iOS 12 – new changes
There is a clear difference between Animoji in Apple’s previous operating system and the current one. iOS 12 allows users to create their own animated emoji, which is called Memoji, whereas in iOS 11 we only had a pre-established set of Animoji. So this is great news for fans of this fun feature.
Combating device addiction
When it comes to digital wellbeing, the features that are meant to fight against device addiction, iOS 12 has a new addition, a new submode called Do Not Disturb During Bedtime, which also allows users to set an ending for the DND option by adding a time and a location. Moreover, notifications are also grouped in iOS 12 by app, thread and topic, so this will definitely be helpful for a lot of people. There is also an exciting new feature, Screen Time, which lets people monitor their device usage by app category, time of day or night and others.
Henry Lares is still early into his career as tech reporter but has already had his work published in many major publications including Tech Crunch and the Huffington Post. In regards to academics, Henry earned an engineering degree from Apex Technical School. Henry has a passion for emerging technology and covers upcoming products and breakthroughs in science and tech.
