Apple has unveiled iOS 12 at its WWDC 2018 conference in San Jose, California.<\/p>\n
The company stated that 81% of active iOS devices are currently running the latest version of iOS, and it expects this trend to continue.<\/p>\n
It stated that iOS 12 will double down on performance, making devices faster and more responsive.<\/p>\n
And it’s not just new devices which will benefit, as Apple said iOS 12 will be available on all the same devices as iOS 11 is.<\/p>\n
Apple has also focused on making sure older smartphones will receive big performance improvements from the operating system update.<\/p>\n
This includes improved processor performance, which now peaks quicker when it is needed, and then ramps down quickly to save battery life.<\/p>\n
A standout improvement coming to iOS 12 is upgrades to its augmented reality functionality.<\/p>\n
This includes Apple working with Pixar to create a new file format – called USDZ.<\/p>\n
USDZ works on all Apple devices, and Adobe will provide native USDZ support in its Creative Cloud suite.<\/p>\n
A new app called Measure was also introduced, which lets users measure real-life objects with their smart device.<\/p>\n
By tapping and “drawing” a line with the app and your device’s camera, it provides measurements of 3D objects like a suitcase – in inches and centimetres.<\/p>\n
ARKit 2 was also unveiled at the event, along with an improved\u00a0Photos app featuring better search functionality.<\/p>\n
The new search functionality will use image recognition to find or group photos by recognising events, actions, and genres.<\/p>\n
Search will also add a “For You” upgrade, which shows photos from a user’s important moments.<\/p>\n
In iOS 12, Apple will allow apps to expose shortcuts to Siri. This lets users assign phrases to an app – which opens the app when the phrase is spoken.<\/p>\n
An example is saying “where are my keys” to have an app open which locates your car keys.<\/p>\n
A new Shortcuts app will also allow users to make their own Siri shortcuts to multiple apps.<\/p>\n
Siri will also provide new suggestions, such as prompting a user to turn on Do Not Disturb on their phone when entering a movie.<\/p>\n
Another example is if Siri detects you are running late for a meeting, it will suggest that you message the person who is hosting the meeting.<\/p>\n
More upgrades to apps in iOS 12 includes:<\/p>\n
For heavy users, iOS 12 will provide weekly activity reports for how a user spends their time on their iPhone and iPad – including how often you pick up your device and which apps consume most of your time.<\/p>\n
Users can then set time usage limits per app, giving them a notification if they reach a daily time usage limit.<\/p>\n
Parents can also create “Allowances” for their children’s app usage, set by app type or individual apps.<\/p>\n
Apple then unveiled an upgraded Do Not Disturb mode for during bedtime, which hides notifications during a user’s bedtime in case they wake up and look at their phone.<\/p>\n
Do Not Disturb can now also be used for a set time period.<\/p>\n
Grouped Notifications were also announced, with notifications grouped by topic or type on a user’s lock screen.<\/p>\n
Closing off the iOS 12 presentation was the unveiling of Memoji – personalised emoji based on a user’s appearance which can be customised – and FaceTime upgrades.<\/p>\n
FaceTime will support group calls going forward, with calls supporting up to 32 simultaneous users.<\/p>\n
This includes a new dynamic user interface which shows all callers in a group FaceTime video call as tiles which adjust in size and position, depending on who is talking.<\/p>\n
FaceTime has also been integrated into Messages, so a group message can be turned into a group FaceTime call.<\/p>\n
The developer preview of iOS 12 is available to Apple Developer Program members today.<\/p>\n
A public beta will be available to iOS users later this month.<\/p>\n
iOS 12 will then be fully available in the coming months as a free software update for:<\/p>\n