iOS 12: Faster, more social
As expected, the newest version of Apple’s operating system for its iPhones and iPads is called iOS 12, and they’ve “doubled down” on performance, said Craig Federighi, senior vice-president of software engineering.
In the preview, Apple touted that on iOS 12, apps can launch up to 40 per cent faster, the camera starts up to 70 per cent quicker and the keyboard appears up to 50 per cent faster, among other under-the-hood improvements plus more responsive typing.
One area where Apple is pushing forward harder is augmented reality (AR), and iOS 12 boasts new tools that would create shared experiences: for example, multiple users can play a game using one’s own device in a common virtual environment. A new file format, ‘Universal Scene Description’, or .usdz, allows users to experience AR on iOS devices. ‘Measure’ was also introduced, an app that takes measurements of objects using an iPhone.
FaceTime also received a nice upgrade with Group FaceTime, allowing up to 30 people to chat at the same time. A conference can also be started from within the Message app.
On the fun part, more Animoji characters have been added, plus Tongue Detection, which speaks for itself. Apple, though, introduced an additional feature: Memoji, which allows users to create an Animoji based on their face, akin to Samsung’s AR Emoji. Animojis can now also be used directly within Messages and FaceTime.
Siri, meanwhile, debuted its Shortcuts feature, which allows users to set keywords to trigger a series of commands from different apps that Siri will perform one after the other. CarPlay, meanwhile, will now support third-party navigation apps such as Google Maps and Waze.
And on the perception that Apple’s products are ‘addictive’, its Screen Time tracks usage of apps and can allow a time limit to be set. This feature is also extended to children’s Activity Report, which helps parents regulate app use.
Do Not Disturb has new modes, including ending it automatically during a specified time and Do Not Disturb During Bedtime, which hides all notifications on the lock screen and will only show up when prompted. Privacy and security on Safari has been enhanced as iOS 12 blocks out social-media ‘like’ and ‘share’ buttons, as well as comment widgets to prevent tracking users without permission.