My son now has an iPhone and just recently I noticed that it hadn’t been fully updated. Usually I’m the one in the family who has a weird need to ensure that all the apps are updated on my phone and that the OS is the very latest and most stable version. So, if you still haven’t tested iOS 12 or updated to it, here’s a quick insight into it and the features it brings.
You can also read my earlier piece about how my iPad keeps crashing.
With every release of a new iOS, Apple tends to add in some fun tools and features to make your phone or iPad feel newer and fresher. Here we’re going to take a look at some of the additions that have been deployed in the very latest version, iOS 12.
- Privacy
WIth every website and social media company wanting a slice of your life, it’s good to see that privacy is high on the agenda. In the new OS, Safari has been improved to prevent any tracking of your data and activities that you don’t allow. It also won’t let third parties gather data about your device. This means that you get a more secure browsing experience.
- More speed
The company promises that the camera will launch 70% faster, while the keyboard will start 50% more quickly. There’s a definite emphasis on performance in this update, with iOS getting overhauled so that even older devices like the iPhone 5s feel all brand new again. There’s smoother animations, a 40% faster app launch and better multitasking.
- Shortcuts
We all love Apple’s shortcuts for making our everyday operations almost effortless. In the new OS, you get even more opportunities to customize your shortcuts. You can now also access them from your Lock screen, which means that you can streamline and speed up tasks even more than before.
- FaceTime
If you are an active user of this application, you’ll be happy to learn that it now allows group conversations with up to 32 participants! This is something we all have been waiting for, but whether you can actually hold a manageable conversation with that many people remains to be seen.
- Upgraded Photo Search
The latest iOS makes photo search much smarter and convenient. Now, the app will give you suggestions to help find the file you’re looking for. Like Google predictive search, it’ll start locating items as you type, with the system offering a look at the photos from the recent places and events.
- Animoji
We all loved how those fun Animojis can be used in a conversation and in iOS 12, Apple has now added four more – T-rex, Koala, Ghost, and Tiger.
- Memoji
Did you enjoy Animojis presented with the previous iOS? Then we bet you will also like Memojis! This brand new feature allows users to create Memojis of yourself to match your mood and personality and use them the same way as Animojis.
- New Way Of Sharing Your Photos
In the Photo app, you can find a tab called “For You”. Inside it, you can find some moments stored in your camera roll. In iOS 12, this tab just got smarter – now it recognizes the people captured on those photos and offers you to share files with them.
- Screen Time
Initially, this feature was meant for parents who want to control the time their kids spend on the phone. However, it’s also extremely useful for other individuals too. It provides you with detailed statistics on what you do with your iPhone, so it is an excellent tool for keeping track of how you spend your time. Activity reports show notifications, device pickups and app usage on a daily or weekly chart and you can see how much time has been spent on specific sites and apps.
- Do Not Disturb
In iOS 12, you’ll see many new opportunities for managing notifications, and this is one of them. This feature will help you block notifications from all or specific applications for some time, for example, when you are at work, on a meeting, etc.
- Better Control Over Your Notifications
Finally, Apple started grouping notifications! Also, the company also added a few handy controls that allow you to reduce distractions throughout the day and manage your notifications smarter.
So give it a try and download the latest iOS 12 if you haven’t already. From my experience it’s definitely a pretty major upgrade and will give your device a new lease of life.